Advances in parasitology vol 65 by doc vlog

Advances in

PARASITOLOGY VOLUME

EDITORIAL BOARD M. COLUZZI Director, Istituto de Parassitologia, Universita` Degli Studi di Roma ‘La Sapienza’, P. le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy

C. COMBES Laboratoire de Biologie Animale, Universite´ de Perpignan, Centre de Biologie et d’Ecologie Tropicale et Me´diterrane´enne, Avenue de Villeneuve, 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France

D. D. DESPOMMIER Division of Tropical Medicine and Environmental Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA

J. J. SHAW Instituto de Cieˆncias Biome´dicas, Universidade de Sa˜o Paulo, av. Prof Lineu Prestes 1374, 05508-990, Cidade Universita´ria, Sa˜o Paulo, SP, Brazil

K. TANABE Laboratory of Malariology, International Research Center of Infectious Diseases. Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamada-Oka, Suita, 565-0871. Japan

Advances in

PARASITOLOGY VOLUME

65 Edited by

R. MULLER London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

D. ROLLINSON Department of Zoology The Natural History Museum Cromwell Road, London, UK

S. I. HAY Senior Research Fellow Malaria Public Health & Epidemiology Group Centre for Geographic Medicine KEMRI/University of Oxford Wellcome Trust Collaborative Programme, Nairobi, Kenya

AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier

Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier 84 Theobaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Road, London WC1X 8RR, UK Radarweg 29, PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, The Netherlands The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA 525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101-4495, USA First edition 2007 Copyright # 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone (+44) (0) 1865 843830; fax (+44) (0) 1865 853333; email: permissions@elsevier.com. Alternatively you can submit your request online by visiting the Elsevier web site at http://elsevier.com/locate/permissions, and selecting Obtaining permission to use Elsevier material. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. ISBN: 978-0-12-374166-0 ISSN: 0065-308X For information on all Academic Press publications visit our website at books.elsevier.com Printed and bound in The Netherlands 07 08 09 10 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

Contributors Preface

vii xi

1. ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria: Unlocking a Pivotal Mechanism Marı´a-Paz Loscertales, Stephen Owens, James O’Donnell, James Bunn, Xavier Bosch-Capblanch, and Bernard J. Brabin Introduction Methods The Nature of ABO Histo-Blood Antigens ABO Phenotypes and Malaria Risk Biological Basis for ABO Phenotype-Related Susceptibility to Malaria Conclusions and Research Implications Acknowledgements References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

2 3 5 9 27 39 41 41

2. Structure and Content of the Entamoeba histolytica Genome C. G. Clark, U. C. M. Alsmark, M. Tazreiter, Y. Saito-Nakano, V. Ali, S. Marion, C. Weber, C. Mukherjee, I. Bruchhaus, E. Tannich, M. Leippe, T. Sicheritz-Ponten, P. G. Foster, J. Samuelson, C. J. Noe¨l, R. P. Hirt, T. M. Embley, C. A. Gilchrist, B. J. Mann, U. Singh, J. P. Ackers, S. Bhattacharya, A. Bhattacharya, A. Lohia, N. Guille´n, M. Ducheˆne, T. Nozaki, and N. Hall Introduction Genome Structure Virulence Factors Metabolism The Cytoskeleton Vesicular Traffic Proteins Involved in Signalling The Mitosome Encystation Evidence of Lateral Gene Transfer in the E. histolytica Genome Microarray Analysis Future Prospects for the E. histolytica Genome Acknowledgements References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

53 55 75 92 114 119 134 142 143 147 158 163 164 164

Contents

3. Epidemiological Modelling for Monitoring and Evaluation of Lymphatic Filariasis Control Edwin Michael, Mwele N. Malecela-Lazaro, and James W. Kazura 1. Introduction 2. Why Monitor and Evaluate Filariasis Control Programmes 3. Mathematical Models and the Design of Monitoring and

Evaluation Plans 4. Models and Quantifying Intervention Endpoint Targets 5. Monitoring Changes in Infection Levels Due to Interventions for

Aiding Management Decision Making Mathematical Models and the Selection of Monitoring Indicators Using Monitoring Data for Programme Management Uncertainty, Monitoring and Adaptive Management Conclusions Acknowledgements References 6. 7. 8. 9.

193 195 196 198 208 215 226 227 229 232 232

4. The Role of Helminth Infections in Carcinogenesis David A. Mayer and Bernard Fried Introduction Trematoda Cestoidea and Nematoda Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis Concluding Remarks References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

240 241 277 277 284 285

5. A Review of the Biology of the Parasitic Copepod Lernaeocera branchialis (L., 1767)(Copepoda: Pennellidae) Adam J. Brooker, Andrew P. Shinn, and James E. Bron Introduction Taxonomy Adult Morphology of the Female Life Cycle Reproduction Physiology Distribution Pathogenicity Concluding Remarks References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

298 299 300 301 314 318 321 332 335 336

Index

343

Contents of Volumes in This Series

353

See Colour Plate Section in the back of this book

CONTRIBUTORS

J. P. Ackers Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom. V. Ali Department of Parasitology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan. U. C. M. Alsmark Division of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, United Kingdom. A. Bhattacharya School of Life Sciences and Information Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India. S. Bhattacharya School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India. Xavier Bosch-Capblanch International Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom. Bernard J. Brabin Department of Community Child Health, Royal Liverpool Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital NHS Trust, Alder Hey, West Derby, Liverpool L12 2AP, United Kingdom, and Child and Reproductive Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom, and Emma Kinderziekenhuis, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands. James E. Bron Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland FK9 4LA, United Kingdom. Adam J. Brooker Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland FK9 4LA, United Kingdom.

vii

viii

Contributors

I. Bruchhaus Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, D-20359 Hamburg, Germany. James Bunn Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi, and Child and Reproductive Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom. C. G. Clark Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom. M. Ducheˆne Department of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. T. M. Embley Division of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, United Kingdom. P. G. Foster Department of Zoology, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom. Bernard Fried Department of Biology, Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania 10842, USA. C. A. Gilchrist Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA. N. Guille´n Institut Pasteur, Unite´ Biologie Cellulaire du Parasitisme and INSERM U786, F-75015 Paris, France. N. Hall The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Maryland 20850, and School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom. R. P. Hirt Division of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, United Kingdom. M. Tazreiter Department of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.

Contributors

James W. Kazura Center for Global Health & Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106–7286, USA. M. Leippe Zoologisches Institut der Universita¨t Kiel, D-24098 Kiel, Germany. A. Lohia Department of Biochemistry, Bose Institute, Kolkata 700054, India. Marı´a-Paz Loscertales Child and Reproductive Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom. Mwele N. Malecela-Lazaro National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. B. J. Mann Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA. S. Marion Institut Pasteur, Unite´ Biologie Cellulaire du Parasitisme and INSERM U786, F-75015 Paris, France, and Cell Biology and Biophysics Program, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany. David A. Mayer Department of Surgery, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA. Edwin Michael Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom. C. Mukherjee Department of Biochemistry, Bose Institute, Kolkata 700054, India. C. J. Noe¨l Division of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, United Kingdom. T. Nozaki Department of Parasitology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan. James O’Donnell Haemostasis Research Group, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland.

Contributors

Stephen Owens Medical Research Council Laboratories, Banjul, Fajara, The Gambia, and Child and Reproductive Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom. Y. Saito-Nakano Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan. J. Samuelson Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. Andrew P. Shinn Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland FK9 4LA, United Kingdom. T. Sicheritz-Ponten Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, BioCentrum-DTU, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark. U. Singh Departments of Internal Medicine, Microbiology, and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA. E. Tannich Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, D-20359 Hamburg, Germany. C. Weber Institut Pasteur, UniteÂ´ Biologie Cellulaire du Parasitisme and INSERM U786, F-75015 Paris, France.

PREFACE

MarÄąÂ´a-Paz Loscertales and colleagues from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine open this volume with a review of the mechanisms behind the protection conferred by ABO blood group phenotypes on Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Given the long pedigree of research in this area, it is surprising that such a review had not already been undertaken. The authors provide an authoritative overview of the subject, ranging from the biological basis of the protective mechanisms to the population genetics of these blood groups. Moreover, they conduct detailed meta-analyses with regard to the association of ABO phenotypes and uncomplicated and severe P. falciparum malaria outcomes. No consistent summary of the evidence could be provided for uncomplicated malaria. Within the severe disease examples, however, they did find that group A was associated with more severe and group O with milder disease. These analyses were further extended to explore blood group type as risk factors for P. falciparum during pregnancy, the association of which was found to vary according to pregnancy stage. All the results are then subject to a detailed discussion of the potential mechanisms for such interactions. Graham Clark from the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine leads an international authorship in explaining many previously unreported aspects of the genome of the intestinal parasite Entamoeba histolytica, with an emphasis on how this allows a better understanding of the biology of the parasite. This predatory protist has an expanded repertoire of gene families involved with signalling and trafficking that allow the parasite to interact with the environment. Conversely, it has lost many other metabolic pathways leading to significant compaction of the genome in other areas. This is a vast review and illustrative of the huge amounts of information being generated for genome sequence initiatives. The authors emphasise, however, that this is a work in progress and a full understanding of the biology at the macro level will not be possible until the genome is complete. The next paper concerns monitoring and evaluation of lymphatic filariasis control and complements papers in Volume 61 on the Control of Human Parasitic Diseases. Edwin Michael (Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK), Mwela Malecela-Lazaro (National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) and James Kazura (Cape xi

xii

Preface

Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA) join forces to present cogent arguments for the need to monitor parasite control programmes. The development and design of mathematical models of parasite transmission can contribute to parasite control monitoring programmes. The ability to estimate endpoints, understand trends and determine reliable indicators can all contribute to effective control. The authors stress that with increasing emphasis being given to the control of filariasis and other parasitic diseases, it is essential to design and implement rational monitoring plans backed by a flexible management approach. David A. Mayer of The New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA, and Bernard Fried of the Department of Biology, Lafayette, Easton, USA, have found in their review that although many helminth infections have been implicated in carcinogenesis, only two, Schistosoma haematobium and Opisthorchis viverrini, have been definitely proven to cause cancer in humans. The authors provide a comprehensive overview of a wide range of trematodes, cestodes and nematodes associated with carcinogenesis. Recent researches on the mechanisms are evaluated, including chronic inflammation, modulation of the host immune system, impairment of immunological surveillance, inhibition of cellâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;cell communication, disruption of proliferationâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;antiproliferation pathways, induction of genomic instability and stimulation of malignant stem cell progeny. The authors point out that in 1926, Johanes Fibiger won the only Nobel Prize awarded in helminthology for his work on the causation of cancer by a helminth; and, although doubt has been cast on his conclusions over the years, recent research appears to validate his results. The final review in this volume by Adam Brooker, Andrew Shinn and James Bron from the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Scotland, deals with the parasitic copepod Lernaeocerca branchialis. There is increasing pressure on many fish stocks from over fishing and environmental changes. L. branchialis poses a significant threat to the health of both wild and cultured gadoid fish, with cod, whiting and haddock being the most common hosts. The review is timely given the increasing interest and development of fish aquaculture. This paper considers many aspects of the copepodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biology, including taxonomy, morphology, reproduction, pathogenicity and distribution. The paper highlights many gaps in knowledge and suggests areas that require more detailed examination and research. Special attention is drawn to the need to anticipate problems likely to be caused by this parasitic copepod as fish culture sites are developed in coastal areas where most transmission takes place. R. MULLER D. ROLLINSON S. I. HAY

CHAPTER

1 ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria: Unlocking a Pivotal Mechanism Marı´a-Paz Loscertales,* Stephen Owens,*,† James O’Donnell,‡ James Bunn,*,} Xavier Bosch-Capblanch,} and Bernard J. Brabin*,k,#

Contents

2 3 4 4 5 9 9 11 19 26

1. Introduction 2. Methods 2.1. Inclusion criteria 2.2. Data analysis 3. The Nature of ABO Histo-Blood Antigens 4. ABO Phenotypes and Malaria Risk 4.1. Population genetics 4.2. Infection risk 4.3. Severe malaria 4.4. Placental malaria 5. Biological Basis for ABO Phenotype-Related Susceptibility to Malaria 5.1. Affinity for Anopheles gambiae

27 27

* Child and Reproductive Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, { {

} } k

United Kingdom Medical Research Council Laboratories, Banjul, Fajara, The Gambia Haemostasis Research Group, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi International Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom Emma Kinderziekenhuis, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands Department of Community Child Health, Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital NHS Trust, Alder Hey, West Derby, Liverpool L12 2AP, United Kingdom

Advances in Parasitology, Volume 65 ISSN 0065-308X, DOI: 10.1016/S0065-308X(07)65001-5

MarÄąÂ´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

5.2. Shared antigens 5.3. Inflammatory response 5.4. Invasion of RBCs 5.5. Rosetting 5.6. Cytoadherence 6. Conclusions and Research Implications Acknowledgements References

Abstract

27 28 29 35 36 39 41 41

Host susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum infection is central for improved understanding of malaria in human populations. Red blood cell (RBC) polymorphisms have been proposed as factors associated with malaria infection or its severity, although no systematic appraisal of ABO phenotypes and malaria risk has been undertaken. This analysis summarises epidemiological, clinical and immunological evidence on the nature of ABO histo-blood antigens and their interaction with malaria in terms of population genetics, infection risk, severe malaria and placental malaria. In non-pregnant subjects, a meta-analysis showed no conclusive evidence associating ABO phenotypes with risk of uncomplicated malaria. There was stronger evidence that ABO phenotype modulates severity of P. falciparum malaria, with group A associated with severe disease and blood group O with milder disease. Among pregnant subjects, group O was associated with increased risk of placental malaria in primigravidae and reduced risk in multigravidae. The biological basis for ABO-related susceptibility to malaria is reviewed. Several mechanisms relate to these associations including affinity for Anopheles gambiae; shared ABO antigens with P. falciparum; impairment of merozoite penetration of RBCs; and cytoadherence, endothelial activation and rosetting. ABO phenotypic associations with malaria are related to its pathogenesis and improved understanding of these interactions is required for understanding the glycobiology of malaria infection.

1. INTRODUCTION The ABO blood group system of carbohydrate antigen expression on the surface of human red blood cells (RBCs) was first described by Karl Landsteiner in 1900 (Lansdsteiner, 1900, 1991) and represented an important step towards development of safer blood transfusions (Owen, 2000). Later in 1941, Hartmann (1941 and 1970) demonstrated that expression of ABO antigens was not confined to RBCs, which led to the more accurate name of histo-blood group antigens. The system was first described with three antigens, six genotypes and four phenotypes, but has now

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

been shown to be highly polymorphic (Chester and Olsson, 2001). Histoblood group antigens of ABO specificity have been detected in many other species (Kominato et al., 1992). Although ABO antigens have not been shown to have any specific physiological function, individual phenotypes have been reported to be associated with a variety of conditions, including infection and cancer (Greenwell, 1997). The hypothesis that ABO groups may be of importance is supported by the observation that their geographical distribution varies markedly, suggesting that positive selective factors may have influenced gene spread. In regions highly endemic for Plasmodium falciparum malaria, it is well recognised that a range of RBC polymorphisms associated with resistance to severe disease have undergone positive selection (Min-Oo and Gros, 2005). Tolerance to malaria based on inherited factors often occurs amongst Africans or persons of African descent presenting haemoglobins S, C and E, a- or b-thalassaemias, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, southern Asian ovalocytosis and glycophorins A, B and C variants (Pasvol, 2003). In addition, a number of studies have analysed whether ABO blood groups may be associated with malaria risk and/or severity. Some early studies were collected by Mourant et al. (1978), and more recently Uneke (2007) has summarised some of the available evidences. For a number of reasons, these often small studies produced conflicting conclusions, so that the relationship between ABO blood group and malaria has not been clearly defined. In this analysis, we review the relationship between ABO blood group and malaria, in terms of the hostâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immune response, geographic distribution in relation to malaria epidemiology, clinical disease severity and the nature of underlying biological mechanisms. The aims of the review were (a) to estimate the association or lack of association of ABO blood groups and malaria (clinical or parasitological) and to determine the magnitude of these associations; and (b) to provide an overview of the mechanisms that underlie the contribution of ABO blood groups to malaria patterns and pathogenesis. The nature of ABO histo-blood group antigens is also considered in order to provide an overview as a basis for assessing their role in malaria.

2. METHODS To estimate the association between blood groups and malaria [aim (a)], we searched the literature for geographical and population genetics and clinical or epidemiological data on ABO phenotypes and malaria; we included all study designs, including any type of participants, where data on at least two blood groups and on falciparum malaria (whether clinical or parasitological) were present. To describe the biological

Marı´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

mechanisms underlying this association [aim (b)], we searched studies on malaria pathogenesis that included information on ABO histo-blood group antigens.

2.1. Inclusion criteria For aim (a), the literature was searched for experimental or quasiexperimental, observational and case studies which assessed possible associations between ABO phenotypes and P. falciparum malaria. Participants could include children or adults exposed to or experiencing falciparum malaria. Epidemiological outcomes of interest included malaria parasite prevalence or parasite density, malaria severity defined by clinical parameters (cerebral malaria, severe anaemia, acidotic breathing) or analytical parameters (lactic acidosis, hypoglycaemia) and death associated or attributed to malaria. For aim (b), experimental studies included placental or necropsy samples, or in vitro models as well as concept papers. We searched studies in any language or publication status in the following data bases: The Cochrane library and MEDLINE (1966 to November 2006) and the reference lists of identified studies. We also performed a manual search prior to 1966, from book indices and early publication references and contacted researchers if necessary for unpublished data. The search strategy for aim (a) included the terms ‘malaria’ and ‘blood groups’ and their variants, using the appropriate syntaxes for each data base. For aim (b), the terms malaria and blood group were used together with ‘rosetting’ or ‘cytoadherence’. We assessed eligibility using pre-established selection criteria. We followed the recommendations of The Cochrane Collaborative Review Group on HIV Infection and AIDS [CCRG HIV/AIDS. Editorial Policy: Inclusion and Appraisal of Experimental and Non-experimental (Observational) Studies]. From the search results, we identified further potentially relevant studies. The inclusion criteria were subsequently applied. We extracted the following data items: year, country, types of participants, health care setting, urban or rural context and number of subjects with and without malaria and with each blood group phenotype.

2.2. Data analysis Data were entered into an MS Excel worksheet. Studies were grouped according to the study design (case-control and cross-sectional) and casecontrol studies were divided in two categories: those in which cases had uncomplicated malaria and those with severe malaria. Data were crosschecked and entered into Review Manager version 4.2 (The Nordic Cochrane Centre, Rigshospitalet 2003) to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

confidence intervals (CIs) for the malaria and blood group antigen associations and to produce forest plots. Relative risks (RR) and their 95% CIs were computed for dichotomous data. Studies were grouped into those assessing infection risk (or prevalence) and those with data severity. Studies were sub-grouped as descriptive or case-control studies. In most case-control studies, controls were not paired with cases, but selected as a group. Heterogeneity was assessed by visually examining forest plots and using the chi-square test for heterogeneity with a 10% level of statistical significance. If heterogeneity was present and it was considered appropriate to combine trial data then a random-effects model (REM) was used instead of a fixed-effect model. Of 319 potentially relevant articles, 34 studies met the inclusion criteria. We also located one on-going study. In the manual bibliographic search, three early studies and one early data summary were identified. One study was included with complete unpublished data provided by the researcher. Most studies were undertaken between 1979 and 1999. In the initial analysis, there were no significant differences between A and B phenotypes which showed the same trend in relation to malaria infection risk and severity. For this reason, the data and OR estimates in the tables were presented with comparison of A, B or AB phenotypes with the O blood group.

3. THE NATURE OF ABO HISTO-BLOOD ANTIGENS Blood group antigens are stable characteristics controlled by genes inherited in a simple Mendelian manner. The ABO blood group locus is located on chromosome 9, with co-dominant A and B alleles that express glycosyltransferases, as well as silent alleles with no observable expression (O alleles) (Watkins and Morgan, 1959; Yamamoto, 2004). The A and B glycosyltransferase enzymes catalyse the addition of specific sugar moieties onto a precursor carbohydrate chain. The ABO antigens are carbohydrate in nature and differ only with respect to their terminal sugar (Fig. 1.1). The precursor acceptor structure is known as the H antigen, and is synthesised by an a1-2-fucosyltransferase encoded by the H gene locus on chromosome 19. The H antigen can also be produced by the action of other a1-2-fucosyltransferase, encoded by another locus (the secretor gene Se), which has a different affinity for carrier carbohydrate chains and determines the presence of ABH antigens in many tissues. The biosynthetic pathway of ABO is intimately related to the synthesis of other carbohydrate blood group antigens, including Le, P and Ii. In clinical blood transfusion practise, human erythrocytes are typically grouped into six main ABO phenotypes, O, A1, A2, B, A1B and A2B, using serological methods. The difference between the A1 and A2 subgroups is

MarÄąÂ´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

Glycoprotein/lipid backbone

Gal a-2-fucosyltransferase (product of genes H/Se)

B 1-3/4

a1,3, Gal transferase (product of A allele, ABO locus on chromosome 9)

Gal

Precursor

Fuc Gal

a1,3, GalNAc transferase (product of A allele, ABO locus on chromosome 9)

Glu NAc

Gal

H antigen

Glu NAc

Gal

A antigen

Glu NAc

Gal

B antigen

Fuc GalNAc

Gal Fuc

Gal

Fuc = Fucose, Gal = Galactose, GluNAc = N-acetyl-glucosamine, GalNAc = N-acetyl-galactosamine

FIGURE 1.1

Structure and synthesis of ABO blood groups.

partly quantitative and only a quarter of the A or AB phenotypes possess the A2 antigen (Clausen and Hakomori, 1989). DNA analysis is necessary to discriminate between different underlying genotypes (e.g., AO vs AA, BB vs BO). In blood group O individuals, the RBCs express H antigen, but fail to express either A or B antigenic determinants. Thus, H antigen is present on all RBCs, except in the rare Bombay phenotype. However, quantitative H antigen expression varies significantly between different groups (O > A2 > A2B > B > A1 > A1B) (Contreras and Lubenko, 1999). Although RBCs are the main carriers of ABH antigens, these antigens are actually also expressed on white blood cells (WBCs), platelets, vascular endothelium and in a soluble form in the plasma. Moreover, ABH antigens have also been identified on most epithelial tissues and their secretions (of ABH secretors), but not in connective tissues (Ravn and Dabelsteen, 2000). The expression of ABH antigens varies with age and development. A, B and H antigens can be detected on the RBCs of very young foetuses, but there are less antigen sites and their reactions are weaker than those of adult RBCs. The expression in RBCs increases after birth until about 3 years of age and then remains stable through life. Conversely, the survival of the antigens in other tissues beyond the 12th week after conception is restricted to endothelium and stratified epithelia (integument, oesophagus, lower urinary tract and vagina); while epithelia proceeding towards further morphological and functional differentiation (gastrointestinal tract, lung, thyroid and pituitary) undergo antigenic loss. The secretion-borne antigens first appear at the eighth week (ovulation age) in the salivary glands and in the stomach, to be followed by the rest of the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system and

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

pancreas. The secretion of these antigens persists throughout life (Szulman, 1964). These tissue-specific oligosaccharides are dependent on cell type-specific expression of a unique glycosyltransferase. On the surface of erythrocytes, ABH antigens are expressed on glycosphingolipids; on the N-linked glycans of a number of different glycoproteins such as band 3 (anion transporter) and band 4.5 (glucose transporter) and on the O-linked glycan structures of glycophorin A (Podbielska et al., 2004). Similarly in other cell types, and in secretions, ABH determinants may be expressed on both glycolipids and/or glycoproteins. In the plasma, they are carried by glycolipids that may be passively adsorbed onto the RBCs. The life span of RBCs is normal in rare cases lacking carbohydrate ABO antigens (Bombay phenotype) or in cells lacking glycophorin A or B. The clinical importance of the ABO blood group antigens was initially recognised in relation to blood transfusion practise, where incompatible RBC transfusions resulted in massive intravascular haemolysis. These effects result from circulating anti-A and anti-B antibodies, respectively. Naturally occurring (non-RBC-induced) anti-A and anti-B antibodies appear in serum at about 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;6 months of age, probably in response to bacterial and viral antigens, reach peak prevalence in young adults and decline in old age. In group A and B persons, these antibodies will be almost entirely IgM, but group O individuals will usually have some IgG component. As previously discussed, a specific biological function for ABH antigenic determinants has not been described. However, it is noteworthy that these structures have been conserved through evolution. Substances with similar immunodominant structures have been found in a variety of living organisms including plants and bacteria (Yamamoto, 2004). Furthermore, Kominato et al. (1992) examined the presence of a gene sequence for human A transferase and observed hybridisation with all the mammal species examined. Expression of ABH histo-blood group antigens varies significantly across different vertebrate species. For example, in amphibians and reptiles, the expression of ABH histo-blood group antigens is positive only on epithelial cells of endodermal tissue, while in lower mammals it is also positive on some ectodermal tissues (e.g., epidermis and nervous receptors). Furthermore, vascular endothelial expression has been reported in baboons, but erythrocyte expression is observed only in higher anthropoid primates (chimpanzee and orangutan) and humans (Oriol et al., 1992). The secretor trait is constant in primates (Socha et al., 1995), and although they express the ABO histo-blood group system not all types are found in every species (Moor-Jankowski, 1993; Moor-Jankowski and Wiener, 1969). The genomic sequences of A and B alleles in primates show that crucial amino acid sequences of the glycosyltransferases are conserved during evolution, which reinforces the hypothesis of trans-species inheritance of the ABO

MarÄąÂ´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

polymorphism from a common ancestor (Martinko et al., 1993). However, O alleles are species-specific and result from independent silencing mutations, which may reflect convergent evolution rather than trans-species inheritance of the ABO genes (Kermarrec et al., 1999). The studies based on the accumulation of mutations and the phylogenetic networks of human and non-human primate ABO alleles suggest that some kind of balancing selection may have been operating at the ABO locus, and confirm that in the human lineage group O appeared later than the other ABO phenotypes (Saitou and Yamamoto, 1997). In addition, the fact that blood group genes are less variable in chimpanzees than in humans may reflect selection through infectious diseases in the human lineage (Sumiyama et al., 2000). Allelic frequency at the ABO blood group locus demonstrates marked geographical variation (Figs. 1.3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1.5). In contrast, the frequency of allelomorphs for other erythrocyte blood group systems (M, N and P) remains remarkably constant in different areas of the world (Mourant et al., 1976). Specially revealing is the high frequency of the non-functional O allele (about 63% in humans) because on the standard mutation-drift balance model null alleles are expected to remain rare. The high frequency of B antigen among Asians, which affects both the Caucasians and the Mongoloids, also suggests an external non-racial influence (Fig. 1.3). To determine whether these geographic variations in ABH antigen expression may have resulted from positive selection pressures, a plethora of studies have examined possible associations between individual ABO blood group phenotypes and specific clinical diseases. Such selection is plausible particularly as these carbohydrate structures can function as receptors and ligands for microbes, and for immunologically important proteins (Weir, 1989). There is evidence that ABO antigens have a role in infections or cancer (i.e., tissue-specific changes with prognostic value), and in multifactorial conditions such as heart and autoimmune diseases. Several studies suggest that group A individuals are at an increased risk of malignancy, thrombosis, high serum cholesterol levels and myocardial infarction, when compared with the O phenotype that has conversely an increased bleeding tendency (Garratty, 2000). Interaction with infectious agents may account for the presence and geographical distribution of ABH polymorphism (Seymour et al., 2004). Many reports have associated some infections with particular ABO phenotypes including Helicobacter pylori (O), Salmonella typhi (B), Pasteurella pestis (O), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (A), Leishmania donovani (ABO) or Smallpox (A) (Berger et al., 1989). Increased susceptibility to different bacterial agents is observed more frequently for B or O phenotypes, and many times has been related to non-secretor status (Blackwell, 1989). The major differences in ABO frequencies in different parts of the world also have been attributed to epidemics that occurred in the past (Mourant et al., 1976, 1978). Naturally

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

occurring anti-A and -B antibodies are raised in response to bacterial infection (e.g., to Escherichia coli). The presence of blood group-like substances in various infecting organisms is one of the factors that could affect host susceptibility through inducing immuno-tolerance. The presence of the ABO and H blood groups in epithelial cells in contact with the environment also suggests another role in the interaction with microorganisms, since many pathogens are known to use cell surface carbohydrates as primary receptors (Karlsson, 1998) and blood groups can also provide a food source for bacteria and protozoa in the gut and the urogenital tract (Greenwell, 1997). In summary, glycans have numerous and overlapping roles. They are mainly involved in structural functions and in the recognition by endogenous (self) and exogenous (non-self) receptors. Multicellular organisms with long life cycles must constantly change in order to survive lethal pathogens with shorter life cycles. It is clear that glycosidic linkages are much more flexible than peptide bounds, and they allow enough variation to survive lethal pathogens that evolve faster. Glycan-negative individuals in a population may slow or change the spread and profile of a disease. Receptor variation provided by glycan diversity between species, individuals within a species or even organs within an individual provides the opportunity for some of the individuals or cells to resist infections, especially those produced by enveloped viruses that will carry host antigens with them to the next host. In this way, ABO polymorphism may protect groups of individuals from particular infections. The final mapping of these polymorphisms in a particular area represents a balanced equilibrium reached for the associated susceptibilities to the endemic infections (Gagneux and Varki, 1999).

4. ABO PHENOTYPES AND MALARIA RISK 4.1. Population genetics Athreya and Coriell (1967) reported a high incidence of blood group B in areas where falciparum malaria was endemic, compared to similar racial stocks living in non-malarial areas. Despite this association, it should be noted that the highest frequency of blood group B actually occurs in areas without endemic malaria (Figs. 1.2 (which is plate 1.2 in the separate Colour Plate Section) and 1.3). In contrast, if the presence of blood group A has negative survival value in the presence of malaria, as suggested by some studies (see the later description), O frequency should be higher in areas endemic for malaria. In sub-Saharan Africa, there is a higher frequency of the O allele, which could support this hypothesis (Figs. 1.4 and 1.5), and the frequencies of both the A and B genes tend to fall between 10 and 20% although this is not as apparent when ethnic

Marı´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

Percentage frequency 0−5 5−10 10−15 15−20 20−25 25−30

0 0

2000 ml 3000 km

FIGURE 1.3 B allele distribution. Stippled lines represent contours for B allele prevalence estimates by region. This map showing the distribution of the B type allele in native populations of the world is reproduced from Mourant et al. (1976) with permission from Oxford University Press.

Percentage frequency 50−55 55−60 60−65 65−70 70−75 75−80 80−85 85−90 90−95 95−100

0 0

2000 ml 3000 km

FIGURE 1.4 O allele distribution. Stippled lines represent contours for O allele prevalence estimates by region. This map showing the distribution of the O type allele in native populations of the world is reproduced from Mourant et al. (1976) with permission from Oxford University Press.

or geographic groups are taken into account when comparing group O frequency among people living within areas of differing malaria endemicity (e.g., holoendemic, hyperendemic, mesoendemic and hypoendemic). In addition to this higher frequency of O allele found in sub-Saharan Africa, a higher percentage of the A allele belongs to the A2 subtype (around

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

Percentage frequency 5−10 10−15 15−20 20−25 25−30 30−35 35−40

2000 ml

3000 km

FIGURE 1.5 A allele distribution. Stippled lines represent contours for A allele prevalence estimates by region. This map showing the distribution of the A type allele in native populations of the world is reproduced from Mourant et al. (1976), with permission from Oxford University Press.

50% compared with 25% elsewhere), which shows lower enzymatic activity and therefore leaves more unaltered H antigen on the RBCs. Other weaker variants of blood group A (Aint and ABantu) are not uncommon in Africans, and they are also associated with more H antigen present on the RBCs. A study in South Africa revealed that the Bantu have in general more H antigen on their RBCs than do Europeans, and that this was true for all groups O, A1 and A2 (Mourant et al., 1976). Since susceptibility to bacterial infections seems to be associated more often with B or O phenotypes (Berger et al., 1989) in contrast to malaria, the geographical distribution of the different phenotypes may depend on the balance between reduced susceptibility to malaria and increased risk of other infections, although falciparum malaria may have been the strongest selection pressure to have shaped ABO blood group distribution in humans (Cserti and Dzik, 2007).

4.2. Infection risk Studies reporting the association between risk of infection and ABO blood group type are summarised in Tables 1.1 and 1.2 (A, B and AB phenotypes vs O) and in Figs. 1.6 and 1.7 (O vs non-O). Ten were undertaken in Africa, three in Europe, four in America and ten in India. Among 12 crosssectional studies (Table 1.1; Fig. 1.6), only three detected significant differences in febrile patients: Pant et al. (1992a) observed a significant association with parasitaemia prevalence which was higher in subjects with the AB blood group, and the same authors in a separate study (Pant et al., 1993) reported parasitaemia prevalence which was

12 TABLE 1.1 Descriptive studies of P. falciparum prevalence by ABO phenotype: Risk of infection A Reference

Country

Age range Urban/ (years) rural Place

Inclusion criteria

Akinboye and Ogunrinade, 1987a Ibhanesebhor et al., 1996b Kassim and Ejezie, 1982c Domarle et al., 1999d Pant et al., 1992ae Pant et al., 1992bf Thakur and Verma, 1992g Pant et al., 1993h Singh et al., 1995i

Nigeria

18–55

Donors

115

Nigeria

Donors

Nigeria

7–14

Comm

Gabon

Comm

School children Children

Relative risk

95%CI

6.1

0.59

0.13–2.74

5.0

0.48

0.06–3.77

0.0

–

10.3

33.3

0.77

0.23–2.53 33.3

0.77

0.23–2.53

0.0

0.00

–

43.2

681

37.3

0.90

0.70–1.16 36.8

0.89

0.70–1.13 35.3

0.85

0.44–1.64

41.5

–

%pos

Relative %pos risk 95%CI

–

Relative %pos risk 95%CI

–

%pos

68.2 *

Fever

Pf (Pv)

783

5.6

2.33

0.81–6.68

2.8

1.14

0.39–3.36

9.3

3.85

1.26–11.75

2.4

Fever

Pf (Pv)

769

6.0

0.62

0.61–1.22

8.3

0.85

0.48–1.51

6.9

0.71

0.29–1.70

9.8

Comm þ HC Comm þ HC Comm

All

Comm

All

2–60

U/R?

India (Gujarat) India (Gujarat) India

All

5–65

India (Gujarat) India (Madhya Pradesh) India (Gujarat)

Pant and Srivastava, 1997j Pant et al., 1998k India (Maharashtra)

258

24.7

2.30

0.98–5.39 22.1

2.06

0.88–4.84 10.3

0.96

0.29–3.17

10.7

Pf (Pv)

1781

8.6

1.71

1.04–2.81* 7.9

1.57

0.97–2.53* 8.6

1.70

0.90–3.21

5.1

Fever

Pf* (Pv)

2095

14.4

0.96

0.73–1.27 18.8

1.26

0.98–1.62 11.4

0.77

0.51–1.14

14.9

Comm þ HC

Fever

Pf (Pv)

1287

11.9

1.34

0.86–2.11

6.9

0.78

0.49–1.24 10.2

1.15

0.62–3.12

8.8

Comm

Fever

121

17.2

0.80

0.28–2.34 18.6

0.87

0.34–2.23

0.44

0.10–1.99

21.4

Households Pf (Pv)

9.5

Pf(Pv), P. falciparum (P. vivax); HC, health centre; Comm., community survey; NS, not stated; numbers in bold, statistically significant relative risk and confidence interval (CI); *p < 0.05. a One hundred and fifteen randomly selected blood samples from voluntary blood donors (apparently healthy adults, six females). Blood Bank, University College Hospital, Ibadan. No significant association was found between ABO blood group and malaria parasitaemia (w2 ¼ 1.6, p > 0.05). b Fifty blood donor samples for all consecutive neonates requiring a blood transfusion. University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Age of donors not specified. No statistically significant association was found with ABO blood groups (w2 ¼ 1.02, d.f. ¼ 3, p ¼ 0.05). c Blood smears from 681 school children from Epe township (southwestern Nigeria) were examined for malaria parasites. d Sixty-one children from 10 families in the village of Dienga (southeastern Gabon) were enrolled. The mean age was 10.08 4.99. e In 1992a, blood samples were collected from 783 persons with malaria symptoms or history of fever in the previous week, in different villages of Kheda district and a malaria clinic in Nadiad (Gujarat, India) during 1990–1991. There is a significant difference in the distribution of ABO system among P. falciparum cases versus normal individuals (w2 ¼ 3, d.f. ¼ 9.96, p < 0.05). f In 1992b, blood samples were collected from 769 people with fever at the time of the survey or a history of fever within a week, at Kheda district (Gujarat, India) between June 1989 and April 1990. g A multi-stage stratified random sampling procedure was used to select 100 households in Bastar District, central India, an hyperendemic area for malaria. Two hundred and fifty-eight subjects agreed to participate. h One thousand six hundred and fifty-nine individuals from upper caste Hindus from Kheda district were screened. w2 for ABO distribution among malaria cases (P. vivax and P. falciparum) and non-malarious healthy subjects ¼ 7.893, p< 0.05. i Blood was taken for thick and thin smears from patients with fever who came to MRC clinic in Bizandi. In the table, we show the number of P. falciparum parasitaemia and mixed infections (both P. falciparum and P. vivax parasitaemia). P. vivax infections are omitted. j Blood samples from 1287 persons of all ages presenting with malaria symptoms or history of fever in the previous week were collected from designated villages of Kheda district and a malaria clinic in Nadiad (Gujarat, India). k Rapid fever survey among the population of JNPT, a seaport in Raigad (population 3500). Finger-prick blood was obtained in all 121 persons with active fever. w2 showed no relation between ABO and malaria (p > 0.05). Only data on P. falciparum has been included in the table.

Review: Comparison: Outcome: Study or sub-category

Blood groups and malaria 01 O versus non-O blood groups in prevalence studies 01 Malaria or no malaria O in malaria n/N

RR (fixed) 95% Cl

O in no malaria n/N

01 Africa (all Nigeria) 6/9 Akimboye 1987 15/39 Dormale 1999 16/20 Ibhanesebhor 1996 160/269 Kassim 1982 337 Subtotal (95% Cl) Total events: 197 (O in malaria), 306 (O in no malaria) z Test for heterogeneity: Chi = 0.78, df = 3 (P = 0.85), Iz = 0% Test for overall effect: Z = 1.57 (P = 0.12)

52/106 7/20 21/30 226/412 568

02 Asia (all India) 5/31 Pant 1992a 201/752 20/61 Pant 1992b 185/708 24/122 Pant 1993a 451/1537 32/115 Pant 1997 330/1172 6/21 Pant 1998 22/100 82/328 Singh 1995 467/1767 6/48 Thakur and Verma 1992 50/210 726 Subtotal (95% Cl) 6246 Total events: 175 (O in malaria), 1706 (O in no malaria) Test for heterogeneity: Chiz = 9.66, df = 6 (P = 0.14), Iz = 37.9% Test for overall effect: Z = 1.58 (P = 0.11) 0.1

0.2

0.5

More O in no malaria

Weight %

RR (fixed) 95% Cl

3.83 4.35 7.90 83.93 100.00

1.36 [0.82, 2.24] 1.10 [0.54, 2.25] 1.14 [0.83, 1.58] 1.08 [0.95, 1.24] 1.10 [0.98, 1.24]

4.64 8.56 19.34 17.19 2.23 42.63 5.42 100.00

0.60 [0.27, 1.36] 1.25 [0.86, 1.83] 0.67 [0.46, 0.97] 0.99 [0.73, 1.35] 1.30 [0.60, 2.81] 0.95 [0.77, 1.16] 0.53 [0.24, 1.15] 0.90 [0.78, 1.03]

More O in malaria

FIGURE 1.6 Risk estimates for malaria infection versus no malaria in blood group O versus non-O phenotypes (cross-sectional studies).

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

higher in A and B patients. Data from Thakur and Verma (1992) also showed higher malaria prevalence in group A individuals. The remaining studies in India showed no blood group associations (Pant and Srivastava, 1997; Pant et al., 1992b, 1998; Singh et al., 1995). Among African studies, four showed no significant differences in infection risk (Akinboye and Ogunrinade, 1987; Domarle et al., 1999; Ibhanesebhor et al., 1996; Kassim and Ejezie, 1982); although a fifth which examined P. falciparum malaria in Gabonese school children showed a higher prevalence of asymptomatic malaria in blood group O (44.8%) versus non-O (29.6%) (p ¼ 0.05), suggesting a protective effect of the O antigen against clinical forms of malaria (Mombo et al., 2003). In seven case-control studies (Table 1.2; Fig. 1.7), only the study of Joshi et al. (1987) found a significant difference with AB phenotype protective against malaria. The other six case-control studies showed no significant differences (Bayoumi et al., 1986; Cavasini et al., 2006; Facer and Brown, 1979; Montoya et al., 1994; Osisanya, 1983; Santos et al., 1983). Early data by Parr (1930) reported increased risk in group A versus non-A, although the Plasmodium species studied is not stated. Among the three cohort studies, two showed significant differences. Migot-Nabias et al. (2000) reported that blood group O protected against higher parasitaemia in asymptomatic Gabonese school children (Student t-test, p ¼ 0.043), and a cohort study undertaken in Brazil (Beiguelman et al., 2003) found a significant association between individuals with A and/or B antigens and the number of malaria episodes (Kruskal–Wallis 4.054, p ¼ 0.044). Conversely, Molineaux and Gramiccia (1980) in Nigeria found no differences in malaria episodes for the different phenotypes. Hill (1992) found a protective effect associated with O phenotype in Gambians. Among five studies with no detailed data, three of them showed no significant differences (Farr, 1960; Pant et al., 1993; Vasantha et al., 1982). A large study undertaken in Russia by Rubaschkin and Leisermann in 1929 and reported by Parr (1930), showed a very significant association between malaria and the ABO blood groups, with AB having a greater frequency in malaria patients. Hill (1992) also reported differences in malaria prevalence for the different ABO phenotypes (Table 1.4). Mourant et al. (1978) presented a review of early casecontrol data, with two studies from Italy showing increased malaria risk in blood group A, one of them associated to a reduced risk for B phenotype. This data is not included in the tables of this review because the Plasmodium species was not specified, and most studies were carried out in areas not endemic for P. falciparum. The summary of these early data is also reviewed by Singh et al. (1986). The evidence is not conclusive about group A individuals and susceptibility to P. falciparum infection and disease. The meta-analysis shows a low heterogeneity for the groups of studies looking at risk of infection (Fig. 1.6 and 1.7). The overall effects of O blood group versus non-O in

16 TABLE 1.2 Odds ratio for ABO phenotype by malaria category in case-control studies Total

Case

Odds ratio (A vs O) N

Odds ratio (B vs O) N

Odds ratio (AB vs O) N

Control

(95% CI)

Reference

Country

Age range

Urban/ rural

Place

Inclusion criteria

Bayoumi et al., 1986a

Sudan

10–54

Malaria

1.24

1.04

1.28

Facer and Brown, 1979b

The Gambia

13–70 Children

R R?

Comm HC

Resistance Malaria

75 80

16 20

0.53–2.94 0.93

13 16

0.41–2.66 0.72

1 4

0.08–37.83 0.74

25 40

Joshi et al., 1987c

India (Delhi)

Children 10–60

R? U

School HC

Non-malarious Malaria

165 85

40 23

0.45–1.88 0.87

41 31

0.34–1.52 0.99

10 3

0.18–2.80 0.25*

74 28

Osisanya, 1983d

U U

Staff/HC HC

Non-malarious{ Malaria

244 73

66 20

0.43–1.75 0.6

78 10

0.52–1.90 0.77

30 1

0.06–0.96 0.35

70 42

38901

0.26–1.38

0.25–2.38

0.01–5.22

NS NS

279 6696

130 116

1.29 0.86–1.94

31 40

0.89 0.49–1.61

29 31

1.08 0.57–2.02

80 92

>18

Reference Expected ABO distribution NS Malaria Reference Expected ABO distribution NS Malaria

121

0.83

1.02

0.47

>18 NS

R UþR

Donor HC

Non-malarious Malaria

417 495

98 158

0.48–1.42 1.08

51 54

0.53–1.97 1.42

14 18

0.07–2.21 1.84

254 265

Comm

Non-malarious

423

135

0.80–1.45

0.88–2.31

0.77–4.52

244

Parr, 1930e

Cavasini Brazil et al., 2006f Santos et al., 1983g

Brazil

NS, not stated; HC, health centre; Comm, community sample; numbers in bold, statistically significant odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI); *p < 0.05; {only non-malarious subjects considered as controls, P. vivax parasitaemia excluded. a Ninety-three patients were selected from OPD clinics with confirmed malaria and history of repeated episodes. Seventy-five cases claiming resistance to malaria were found in a community survey. b Blood from 250 children from Western division of The Gambia was ABO typed. Eighty presented with P. falciparum malaria at the OPD clinic. The rest were primary school children. c Eighty-five patients with fever attending the malaria clinic in Delhi had P. falciparum parasitaemia, and a group of 171 febrile patients and 73 members of MRC staff are the control group. Note: 253 P. vivax cases were excluded from the analysis. d One hundred and eight blood/serum samples were obtained from patients attending the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the malaria reference laboratory of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The patients were divided according to their ethnic background. Data from Asian patient is not included in the table since most cases were P. vivax infections. Most infections in the table were by P. falciparum, except 12 P. vivax, 2 P. ovale and 1 P. malariae. The controls were obtained from previous studies and a reference population. e Early data. Subject selection and malaria type is not specified. Controls are expected cases according to blood group distribution in the general population. Group A versus non-A nearly significant 1.38 (95% CI 0.98â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1.96) p 0.05. f Four hundred and seventeen blood-smear negative donors and 409 patients with confirmed clinical malaria, all older than 18 years, were selected from four areas of Brazilian Amazon. One hundred and twenty-one of the patients had P. falciparum malaria. For the 288 cases with P. vivax infection, no association was found with ABO phenotypes (data not included in the table). g Two hundred and sixty-five persons affected by malaria were detected by public health personnel or presented at the Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Manaos (Brazil). Controls were 244 apparently healthy persons who were matched by sex, age and morphological racial characteristics with the cases.

Review: Comparison: Outcome:

Blood groups and malaria 02 Malaria versus no malaria in case-control studies 01 O or non-O blood group

Study or sub-category

O in malaria n/N

O in no malaria n/N

Bayoumi 1986 Cavasini 2006 Facer 1979 Joshi 1987 Osisanya 1983 Parr 1930 Santos 1983

39/93 78/121 40/80 28/85 42/73 89/279 265/495

25/55 254/417 74/165 70/244 29/63 92/279 244/423

Total (95% CI) 1226 Total events: 581 (O in malaria), 788 (O in no malaria) z Test for heterogeneity: Chi = 5.24, df = 6 (P = 0.51), Iz = 0% Test for overall effect: Z = 0.04 (P = 0.97)

OR (random) 95% CI

1646

0.1 0.2 0.5 1 More O in no malaria

FIGURE 1.7

Weight %

OR (random) 95% CI

5.59 14.23 8.81 8.96 5.47 20.07 36.87

0.87 [0.44, 1.70] 1.16 [0.76, 1.77] 1.23 [0.72, 2.10] 1.22 [0.72, 2.08] 1.59 [0.81, 3.13] 0.95 [0.67, 1.36] 0.85 [0.65, 1.10]

100.00

1.00 [0.86, 1.18]

2 5 10 More O in malaria

Risk estimates for malaria infection versus no malaria in blood group O versus non-O phenotypes (case-control studies).

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

malaria risk are not significant. For prevalence studies, the overall relative risk shows an opposite tendency in African compared with Asian studies. Although many studies showed small differences, the most relevant finding is that there was consistency in the findings of A, B or AB being associated with increased malaria risk and the O phenotype appearing as protective factor in some studies (Table 1.4). Increased susceptibility associated with the A phenotype could also influence P. vivax infection, as reported by Gupta and Chowdhuri (1980).

4.3. Severe malaria We identified eight studies examining the association of ABO phenotypes with severe malaria (Table 1.3; Fig. 1.8). Five of them were undertaken in Africa and three in the Asian-Pacific region. A ninth study was not included in any of the tables because missing information on the blood group type distribution did not allow a clear interpretation (Waiz and Chakraborty, 1990).

4.3.1. Africa

The earliest study was undertaken by Martin et al. (1979) in Ibadan (Nigeria). They reported that the prevalence of ABO groups in 91 children presenting with severe malaria (defined as fever plus high parasitaemia, mean 152,000 17,000 parasites/ml) was similar to healthy adults from the same Nigerian population. In a study from Gabon (Lell et al., 1999), blood group (among other RBC polymorphisms) was determined in 100 children with severe malaria matched with 100 mild malaria cases. Blood group A was significantly associated with severe malaria compared with blood group O (OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.24–6.92), as well as with a trend towards higher parasitaemia, but not with haemoglobin level. Blood group O was seen more often in the mild group. Among patients in this study, a higher frequency of rosette-forming isolates was found in the severe malaria group. In a Zimbabwean study of 489 patients (Fischer and Boone, 1998), those with malaria and blood group A had lower haemoglobin levels and a higher risk of coma than infected patients with other blood group types (OR A vs non-A 3.22, 95% CI 1.19–8.66). Groups AB and O had significantly higher levels of Hb. Prevalence of the clinical features of seizures, confusion, jaundice, hospitalisation and death did not differ significantly among blood group types. Heddini et al. (2001) reported a significant correlation between malaria severity and blood group A (p ¼ 0.031), cerebral malaria (p ¼ 0.014) but not severe anaemia (p ¼ 0.145), in a study which examined the parasitised erythrocytes of 111 fresh isolates of children with malaria from Kilifi in Kenya. In 1012 Ghanaian children with severe malaria, it was observed that blood group O was associated with reduced levels of blood lactate, raised levels

20 TABLE 1.3 Odds ratio for ABO phenotype by severe malaria category

Reference

Country

Age range

Martin et al., 1979a

Nigeria

Children NS Malaria high count

Lell et al., 1999b

Gabon

Fischer and Boone, 1998c

Adults Children Children Zimbabwe NS

Inclusion criteria

Reference population Severe Uncomplicated Confusion or coma

Case

Odds ratio (A vs O)

Odds ratio (B vs O)

Odds Rario (AB vs O)

95% CI

Control N 91

1.05

1.00

0.75

91 100 100 57

19 27 11 14

0.47–2.37 2.91* 1.24–6.92 1.37

21 – – 13

0.45–2.20 – – 1.23

4 – – 2

0.12–4.27 – – 1.31

47 54 64 28

428 255

87 58

0.65–2.85 1.17

90 93

0.57–2.60 1.75

13 18

0.0–6.59 1.61

238 86

753

187

0.79–1.74

200

1.23–2.50*

0.85–3.06

324

170 200 80

63 51 26

1.93 1.08–3.46 2.67*

59 75 22

1.23 0.70–2.16 2.44*

9 13 13

1.08 0.38–3.04 6.67{

39 61 19

Singh, 1985

India

Pathirana et al., 2005f

Sri Lanka

No coma Lactic acidosis (lactate > 5 mmol/l) Malaria without lactic acidosis Children NS Admitted malaria Children NS Healthy All Severe malaria

Al-Yaman et al., 1995g

PNG

All Uncomplicated Children NS Cerebral

163 103

40 29

1.25–5.74 0.64

37 10

1.11–5.39 0.43

8 14

2.18–20.87 0.85

78 44

Children NS Uncomplicated

158

0.33–1.21

0.17–1.05

0.35–2.00

Donkor et al., 2004d Ghana

NS 6 months–6 years

Total

NS, not stated; numbers in bold, statistically significant OR and CI; *p < 0.05; {p < 0.01. a Ninety-one children presenting to the OPD between June and September 1976, with fever and parasitaemia 152,000 Ăž 17,000. No data on ABO is available from controls. Figures are percentages from a reference adult population for the area. b Cases were 100 children with severe malaria (hyperparasitaemia > 250,000 ul 1, Hb < 50 g/litre and other signs). Controls were age, sex and area matched with cases (mean age 44 months). Uncomplicated malaria defined by: parasitaemia 1,000â&#x20AC;&#x201C;50,000, Hb > 8.0 g/litre, platelets > 50 nl 1 and schizontaemia zero. c Four hundred and eighty-nine patients with malaria were selected for the study. Hb level was significantly different: lower in A and B. Risk of coma was higher for group A patients compared with non-A group. The data presented in the Table 3 is unpublished and is an analysis of the original data provided by the author. d Unpublished data. One thousand and eight children from 6 months to 6 years admitted in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi (Ghana) with WHO criteria of severe malaria. e Cases: 170 children admitted to the hospital with malaria without other associated problems. Controls: 200 normal children from the same area, age and sex matched. f Cases: 103 children with CM (WHO) admitted at Madang General Hospital. Controls: 158 children with uncomplicated malaria.

22 Review: Comparison: Outcome:

Blood groups and malaria 03 Uncomplicated versus severe malaria in case control studies 01 O or non-O blood group

Study or sub-category

O in severe malaria n/N

O in uncomp. malaria n/N

Al-Yaman 1995 Donkor 2004 Fisher 1998 Lell 1999 Martin 1979 Pathirana 2005 Singh 1985

44/103 86/255 28/57 54/100 47/91 19/80 39/170

53/158 324/753 238/428 64/100 47/91 78/163 61/200

8.11 36.75 9.63 9.96 7.69 13.25 14.61

1.48 [0.89, 2.46] 0.67 [0.50, 0.91] 0.77 [0.44, 1.34] 0.66 [0.37, 1.16] 1.00 [0.56, 1.79] 0.34 [0.19, 0.62] 0.68 [0.43, 1.08]

1893

100.00

0.73 [0.61, 0.87]

Total (95% Cl) 856 Total events: 317 (O in severe malaria), 865 (O in uncomp. malaria) Test for heterogeneity: Chiz = 15.23, df = 6 (P = 0.02), lz = 60.6% Test for overall effect: Z = 3.54 (P = 0.0004)

OR (fixed) 95% Cl

0.1

0.2

0.5

More O unco. malaria

FIGURE 1.8

Weight %

OR (fixed) 95% Cl

More O sev. malaria

Risk estimates for uncomplicated versus severe malaria severity in blood group O versus non-O phenotypes.

TABLE 1.4 Summary ABO phenotypes identified as risk factors Reference

Age

Outcome

Risk factor

Protective phenotype

Risk of infection: Cross-sectional studies Akinboye and Nigeria Ogunrinade, 1987 Ibhanesebhor et al., 1996 Nigeria Kassim and Ejezie, 1982 Nigeria Domarle et al., 1999 Gabon Mombo et al., 2003 Gabon Pant et al., 1992a India Pant et al., 1992b India Pant et al., 1993 India Thakur and Verma, 1992 India Singh et al., 1995 India Pant and Srivastava, 1997 India Pant et al., 1998 India Risk of infection: Case-control studies Bayoumi et al., 1986 Sudan

Adults

115

Parasitaemia

–

Adults Children Children Children NS All All All NS All All

50 681 61 271 783 769 1659 258 2095 1287 121

Parasitaemia Parasitaemia Parasitaemia Parasitaemia Malaria (Pf, Pv) Malaria (Pf, Pv) Parasitaemia Parasitaemia Malaria Malaria (Pf, Pv) Malaria (Pf, Pv)

– – – – AB – A and B A – – –

– – – O – – – – – – –

All

93/75

–

Facer and Brown, 1979 Joshi et al., 1987

Children All

80/165 85/244

Malaria susceptibility Malaria Malaria

– –

– AB

The Gambia India

(continued)

24 TABLE 1.4 (continued) Reference

Age

Outcome

Risk factor

Protective phenotype

Osisanya, 1983 UK Parr, 1930 Lebanon Cavasini et al., 2006 Brazil Santos et al., 1983 Brazil Montoya et al., 1994 Colombia Risk of infection: Cohort studies Molineaux and Nigeria Gramiccia, 1980 Migot-Nabias et al., 2000 Gabon Beiguelman et al., 2003 Brazil Risk of infection: No detailed data Hill, 1992 The Gambia Vasantha et al., 1982 India Farr, 1960 UK

NS NS Adults NS NS

73/63 279/6696 121/417 495/423 412

Malaria Malaria Malaria Malaria Malaria

– A – – –

– – – – –

All

3534

Malaria episodes

–

Children All

300 182

Parasitaemia Malaria episodes

– A and B

O –

NA NA Adults

NA NA 112/8257

– –

O –

Russia

4397/13484

Malaria Malaria History of malaria Malaria

–

Review

A, AB

Nigeria

Children

91/100

–

Gabon

Children

100/100

High parasite count Severe malaria

–

Rubaschkin and Leisermann, 1929 quoted by Parr, 1930 Mourant et al., 1976 Malaria severity studies Martin et al.,1979 Lell et al., 1999

Fischer and Boone, 1998 Heddini et al., 2001 Donkor et al., 2003* Singh, 1985

Zimbabwe Kenya Ghana India

NS Children Children Children

20/469 55/56 978 170/200

Pathirana et al., 2005 Al-Yaman et al., 1995

Sri Lanka PNG

All Children

80/163 103/158

NA, not available; NS, not stated; dash signifies no ABO phenotypic association identified. * Unpublished data.

Malaria (coma) Cerebral malaria Lactic acidosis Admitted malaria Severe malaria Cerebral malaria

A A B A

O – O –

– –

O –

Marı´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

of which are a marker for disease severity (Donkor, C., Loscertales, M.P., Osei-Akoto, A., and Bunn, J., 2004, unpublished data).

4.3.2. Asia and Pacific Singh (1985) compared the frequencies of ABO blood group types among 170 children admitted with malaria (P. falciparum, 54.1%), and 200 ageand sex-matched healthy controls from the same area. The relative risk of malaria (both P. vivax and P. falciparum) in group A versus O was 1.93 (95% CI 1.08–3.46). Pathirana et al. (2005), in a study from Sri Lanka found that cases of severe malaria were significantly less likely to have blood group O (p ¼ 0.0003), and significantly more likely have group AB (p < 0.0001) than patients with non-severe malaria. Al-Yaman et al. (1995) studied the association between rosetting and malaria severity in Papua New Guinean children. A total of 103 cerebral malaria cases (established using World Health Organization criteria) were recruited and 158 patients with uncomplicated malaria. ABO blood group (together with P. falciparum parasitaemia and mean temperature) did not differ significantly between the two groups (p ¼ 0.17) (Table 1.3). Blood group and parasite density were associated with rosetting, as group AB had a significantly higher geometric mean rosetting rate than other groups (p ¼ 0.007). No relationship was observed between rosetting and cerebral malaria. Despite the heterogeneity in the indicators used to assess severity, most studies found significant differences that were consistent with the association of the A phenotype with a higher risk and O phenotype with reduced risk for malaria severity (Table 1.4). Among the two studies that showed no significant differences, one of them (Martin et al., 1979) used a high parasite count as the criteria for severity and not a clinical definition of severe malaria, which makes questionable its inclusion in this group. The overall effect of blood group on malaria severity is significant (p ¼ 0.0004) with reduced risk for O blood group (Fig. 1.8). The test for data heterogeneity in the meta-analysis was significant limiting the strength of this conclusion.

4.4. Placental malaria In the only published analysis of ABO phenotypes in relation to placental malaria from the Gambia, blood group O was associated with an increased prevalence of active placental infection in primiparae and with reduced risk of placental malaria in multiparae (Loscertales and Brabin, 2006). Placental P. falciparum parasitaemia occurred twice as frequently in primiparae, but only among blood group O women. This effect of parity, which is one of the cardinal features of placental malaria was not observed in non-O phenotypes. In multiparae and specifically in

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

mothers with past or non-infected placentae, blood group O was also associated with higher foeto-placental weight ratios compared with non-O individuals. Similar findings have been observed in a study from Malawi which showed blood group O was a risk factor for increased malaria risk in first pregnancies and reduced risk in later pregnancies (Senga, E.L., Loscertales, M.P., Makwakwa, D.E.B., Liomba, G.N., Dzamalala, C., Kazembe, P., and Brabin, B.J., 2007, unpublished observation).

5. BIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR ABO PHENOTYPE-RELATED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MALARIA Host factor susceptibility, both acquired and inherited, plays a role in malaria infection and severity. The first evidence of the importance of inherited host factors was the limited host range of the various Plasmodia species. A growing number of genes have been described that are associated with P. falciparum malaria, but their contribution relative to the environmental factors that also influence malarial risk has rarely been estimated. Using a pedigree-based genetic variance component analysis, Mackinnon et al. (2005) found that genetic and unidentified household factors each accounted for around one quarter of the total variability in malaria incidence in their study population. This genetic effect was beyond that attributable to the haemoglobinopathies alone, suggesting the existence of many protective genes each causing small population effects.

5.1. Affinity for Anopheles gambiae Anopheles gambiae can effectively and consistently express host-selection behaviour that results in non-random biting. An association between ABO group and attractiveness for A. gambiae has been described with preferential feeding for blood group O subjects (Wood, 1975; Wood et al., 1972), although evidence for this was not found by other investigators (Dore et al., 1975). At high levels of transmission and immunity, even sizable differences between persons in attractiveness to vectors may have no easily detectable parasitological or serological expression. There has been little research on this topic: for example, the relationship between the ABO blood groups and anti-sporozoite antibodies has not been studied (Molineaux, 1988).

5.2. Shared antigens Some antigenic determinants of the ABO system are shared by malaria parasites as well as by other infectious agents (Athreya and Coriell, 1967). It has been shown that malaria parasites share group A antigens (OliverGonzalez and Torregrossa, 1944) and may be better tolerated by hosts that have the A blood group antigen. However, the evidence for the presence of

MarÄąÂ´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

blood group antigens in malaria parasites is mostly indirect. There is an increase of anti-A and anti-B titre in group O individuals exposed to malaria (Kano et al., 1968). These titres are higher in subjects living in a malaria endemic area or who have suffered several attacks than in recently infected patients (Druilhe et al., 1983; Oliver-Gonzalez and Torregrossa, 1944). It has been suggested that individuals with the O phenotype may be selectively advantaged because they have both anti-A and anti-B antibodies shared by microorganisms, which could explain the persistence of the O gene (Saitou and Yamamoto, 1997). An early study by Raper (1968) found no differences in the level of attained parasitaemia (high vs normal) in 3500 patients after successful inoculation of malarious blood for the treatment of neuro-syphilis, in relation to their ability to produce anti-A or anti-B activity. Several early studies showed a significantly longer incubation period in blood-induced P. vivax malaria (as a treatment for syphilis) when blood groups of donor and recipient were incompatible, although this evidence was controversial (Myatt et al., 1954). The in vivo observation of phagocytes engulfing normal RBCs (Russel et al., 1963), probably related to the frequent finding of positive Coombs antiglobulin reactions in malaria patients (Facer et al., 1979), suggests that immunological factors are important in the development of malaria-related anaemia. Various mechanisms have been suggested to explain the positive direct Coombs reaction including fixation of immune complexes to the RBC, adsorption of malaria antigens to the surface of normal RBC and sensitisation by anti-RBC antibodies (Casals-Pascual and Roberts, 2006; Facer, 1980). It is proposed that during malaria infection, infected and non-infected RBC become sensitised to anti-RBC antibodies, for example, anti-D (Lee et al., 1989). Anti-RBC antibodies may be addressed to cryptic antigens of the RBCs that have been exposed following changes in the sialic acid of the membrane caused by the parasite (Zouali et al., 1982). It has also been proposed that cold agglutinins (Penalba et al., 1984) of the IgM class may lead to fixation of C3d on RBC and hence to haemolytic anaemia yet in childhood malaria only insignificant titres of cold agglutinins have been detected (Facer et al., 1979). The cause of direct Coombs (DAT) positivity in West African (Gambian) children was investigated and the results obtained provided evidence that the antibodies were directed against P. falciparum and not to the RBC, suggesting adsorption of malaria antigens as the main hypothesis (Facer, 1980).

5.3. Inflammatory response Protection against asexual blood stages is mediated by pro-inflammatory responses, mainly related to tumour-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), interferon-g (IFN-g) and nitric oxide (NO). In parallel with these responses,

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

different clinical presentations of severe malaria are associated with specific patterns of inflammatory mediators. In particular, children with respiratory distress have significantly higher plasma levels of TNF-a, IL-10 and neopterin and a significantly higher TNF-a:IL-10 ratio than those without respiratory distress (Awandare et al., 2006). This may explain the pathogenesis of the underlying metabolic acidosis. Circulating levels of neopterin have been inversely correlated with haemoglobin. Neopterin is produced by human monocyte-derived macrophages on stimulation with IFN-g and is a sensitive indicator for cell immune activation. Neopterin levels are significantly higher in donors with blood group O than other phenotypes (Murr et al., 2005). No associations have been reported between ABO blood group and other pro-inflammatory cytokines related to malaria pathogenesis.

5.4. Invasion of RBCs Invasion of RBCs is mediated by specific receptors (Miller et al., 1973). The invasion process is a sequence of steps that start with merozoite reversible attachment to the RBC surface, followed by apical reorientation, formation of an irreversible junction and entry into a parasitophorous vacuole (Fig. 1.9). Different blood groups could mediate or act as receptors for invasion, as has been clearly shown for the Duffy blood group in P. vivax infection. However, P. vivax and P. falciparum have different receptors on the RBC membrane (Gaur et al., 2004) as suggested by early epidemiological studies (Spencer et al., 1978; Welch et al., 1977). The fact that there is no single RBC polymorphism which confers complete resistance to P. falciparum merozoite invasion suggests that the parasite has ligands for an essential protein or for an abundant membrane substance (e.g., sialic acid) which could not be suppressed without compromising the RBC structure or function. Part of the difficulties of describing P. falciparum invasion pathways are attributable to major strain differences in ligands as described by Hadley et al. (1987) and Duraisingh et al. (2003). Some of the molecules involved in the different phases of RBC invasion are associated in some extent with ABO phenotypes. The first step of invasion is the attachment of the merozoite to the RBC surface that is reversible and host cell specific. There is significant preference for P. falciparum invasion into blood group A1 erythrocytes compared with A2, B or O erythrocytes. This preference for sub-group A1 erythrocytes was observed in parasites utilising both sialic acid-dependent and sialic acid-independent invasion pathways and could be due to differences in initial parasite attachment to the RBCs (Chung et al., 2005). A similar study failed to find any invasion preference by ABO phenotype (Osisanya, 1983). Merozoite surface proteins (MSPs), especially MSP-1, have been related to initial attachment during the invasion process

MarÄąÂ´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

1. Attachment

Merozoite

MSP-1

2. Apical reorientation AMA-1

ABO expression

Band 3

3. Junction formation GluNAc GalNAc (A) Sialic acid block attachment

Free

{

ABO affects sialic acid levels

ABO expression (DBL) EBA-175

Sialic

GPA

Sialic

GPB

(DBL) EBA-140

Sialic

GPC

(DBL) EBA-181

Sialic

(DBL) EBA-175

Band 3 ABO expression

FIGURE 1.9 ABO associations with RBC invasion pathways. This shows ABO expression sites for three stages of RBC invasion by P. falciparum. MSP-1, merozoite surface protein 1; AMA-1, apical membrane antigen 1; EBA: erythrocyte-binding antigen; DBL, Duffy-binding-like; GPA, glycophorin A; GPB, glycophorin B; GPC/D, glycophorin C/D; GluNAc, N-acetyl-glucosamine; GalNAc, N-acetyl-galactosamine.

(Gaur et al., 2004). MSP-1 binds RBCs in a sialic acid-dependent manner and if associated with MSP-9, they form a co-ligand complex that binds to band 3 (Li et al., 2004). Band 3, a membrane protein that acts as an anion carrier, may be a receptor for Plasmodium invasion of RBCs (Okoye and Bennett, 1985) and conjointly with GPA expresses the Diego blood group antigens (Telen and Chasis, 1990) that have also been proposed as parasite receptors (Ridgwell et al., 1983). Most importantly, band 3 is known to carry the ABH antigens. Deletion in band 3 gene results in southeast Asian ovalocytosis, that confers some resistance to P. falciparum invasion (Mgone et al., 1996), and may protect against cerebral malaria (Allen et al., 1999) (Table 1.5). Apical reorientation is the second step during merozoite invasion. Several studies suggest that the P. falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1), a protein localised in the apical organelles of the merozoite, is involved in the invasion of human RBCs (Gaur et al., 2004) and its

TABLE 1.5

ABO associations with molecules involved in RBC invasion pathways Effect of polymorphism

P. falciparum ligands

Sialic acid dependent

RBC receptor

MSP-1

Band 3

AMA-1 EBA-175

No Yes

? GPA

Yes

GPB

Protective RBC receptor polymorphisms

Population affected by RBC polymorphism

In vitro

In vivo

Southeast Asian ovalocytosis

Papua New Guinea

Reduced invasion

Protects against cerebral malaria

En(a ): [absent GPA]

Reduced invasion

Wrb [absent Wrb antigen]

Reduced invasion?

Dantu [hybrid GPAâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;GPB]

Southern African

Reduced invasion

Known ABO relationship with pathway molecules

Band 3 expresses ABO

None GPA expresses ABO determinants Sialic acid level differs between ABO phenotypes Sialic acid level and composition differ between ABO phenotypes (continued)

TABLE 1.5 (continued) Effect of polymorphism P. falciparum ligands

EBA-140 (BAEBL)

Sialic acid dependent

Yes

RBC receptor

GPC/D

EBA-181 (JESEBL)

Yes

Unknown

PfRh1

Yes

Unknown

PfRh2b

Unknown

Protective RBC receptor polymorphisms

Population affected by RBC polymorphism

S-s-U- [absent Africa GPB] Papua-New Gerbich [absent GPD, truncated Guinea GPC] (elliptocytosis) Leach [absent GPC/D]

In vitro

In vivo

Reduced invasion Reduced invasion

Reduced infection?

Known ABO relationship with pathway molecules

Sialic acid level differs between ABO phenotypes

Reduced invasion Sialic acid level differs between ABO phenotypes Sialic acid level differs between ABO phenotypes

MSP-1, merozoite surface protein 1; AMA-1, apical membrane antigen 1; EBA, erythrocyte-binding antigen; PfRh, P. falciparum reticulocyte-binding protein homologue; GPA, glycophorin A; GPB, glycophorin B; GPC/D, glycophorin C, D.

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

erythrocyte-binding sites are not sialic acid dependent (Urquiza et al., 2000). AMA-1 may be directly associated with apical reorientation (Mitchell et al., 2004). No relation has been found in the literature between AMA-1 and ABO blood groups. After apical re-orientation of the merozoite, parasite ligands and erythrocyte receptor molecules lead to irreversible junction formation and mediate erythrocyte invasion. The merozoite ligands are located in the apical organelles and they belong to two protein superfamilies: the Duffy-binding-like (DBL) proteins of P. falciparum (Gaur et al., 2004) and the reticulocyte-binding-like (RBL) protein family. Glycophorins and sialic acid are common receptor elements of those invasion pathways. In the first pathway described, receptor-binding residues of parasite ligands (as the DBL parasite protein EBA-175) bind sialic acid on glycophorin A for invasion (Orlandi et al., 1992), indicating that parasites using EBA-175 need both glycophorin A and the attached carbohydrates (Sim et al., 1994) and explaining the resistance to invasion described for En(a) erythrocytes (Pasvol et al., 1982a) which lack glycophorin A and possibly for Wrb cells, a polymorphism of Diego blood group expressed on the GPA molecule (Facer and Mitchell, 1984; Pasvol et al., 1982b). Other invasion pathways are also sialic acid dependent and use glycophorin B (GPB) (Dolan et al., 1994) or glycophorin C (GPC) and glycophorin D (GPD) (Mayer et al., 2001). Accordingly, some blood group variants related to these glycophorins show a protective effect on malaria invasion as the Dantu and S-s-U- phenotypes (MNSs variants related to GPB) (Facer, 1983; Field et al., 1994; Vos et al., 1971); the GPC variant Gerbich phenotype (Ge-2,-3) (Booth and McLoughlin, 1972; Pasvol et al., 1984; Patel et al., 2001; Serjeantson, 1989) and the Leach type RBCs (Ge-2,-3) null for GPC/D proteins that is also resistant to merozoite invasion (Chishti et al., 1996). Another invasion pathway associated to sialic acid is related to the DBL protein EBA-181/JESEBL that can recognise multiple receptors on the erythrocyte (Mayer et al., 2004). The protein PfRh1 that belongs to the RBL protein family, also binds to erythrocytes in a sialic acid-dependent manner but using a receptor distinct from glycophorins and known as receptor Y (Rayner et al., 2001). Other RBP homologues (as PfRh4) have been implicated in erythrocyte binding, but this activity has not been demonstrated (Duraisingh et al., 2003). There are some points of associations between ABO phenotypes and invasion pathways involving glycophorins and/or sialic acid. Podbielska et al. (2004) have demonstrated the presence of minor amounts of ABH determinants in the O-glycans of glycophorin A. However, there is no evidence in the literature of ABH determinant expression in GPB or GPC. Sugar components present on glycophorin, in particular N-acetyl-glucosamine (GluNAc) and N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc) appear to act as important determinants for attachment to the erythrocyte (Facer, 1983),

Marı´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

and together with sialic acid, they can specifically block parasite invasion in vitro as free monosaccharides, suggesting that merozoites bind to the RBCs in a lectin-like fashion (Jungery, 1985). This may be very relevant since GalNAc is the terminal sugar of the A antigen, and could partly explain the increased susceptibility for A phenotype. The association between particular sugars attached to GPA or GPB and merozoite invasion is complex, since Cad erythrocytes which have normal sialic content but present additional GalNAc residues attached to each O-linked glycan in GPA and GPB resist invasion by P. falciparum (Cartron et al., 1983). Sialic acid that is common to some pathways that use glycophorins as ligands has also been related to ABO phenotypes. Sialic acid is one of the essential molecules for parasite attachment and it has even been suggested that the human–chimpanzee differences in malaria susceptibility are related to the genetic changes in sialic acid molecules present in glycophorins (Martin et al., 2005). The erythrocyte membrane in b-thalassemia has lower sialic acid levels in glycophorin (Kahane and Rachmilewitz, 1976) and Tn cells deficient in sialic acid and galactose are particularly resistant to P. falciparum invasion (Pasvol et al., 1982b). Membrane sialic acid content is reported as higher in group O; with a higher percentage bound to glycolipids in this phenotype but a lower percentage associated to sialoglycoproteins. These differences were independent of the Rhesus grouping. The sialic acid densities in sialoglycoproteins and the particular classes of sialic molecules also differ from one erythrocyte type to another (Bulai et al., 2003; Udoh, 1991). GluNAc, a component of glycophorins A and C but not B is an effective inhibitor of RBC invasion. Sialic acid is almost as effective as GluNAc, presumably because of the structural similarities between these sugars. The inhibitory ability of sialic acid is considerably enhanced when presented to the parasite in a clustered form, as in an oligosaccharide (Vanderberg et al., 1985). We can speculate that the binding of EBA-175 and other ligands may be optimal if particular ‘clustered saccharide patches’ are present in GPA rather than isolated oligosacharidae or proteins, as suggested by these studies. This will also explain why those specific oligosacharidae do not inhibit binding of Plasmodium to RBCs when they are purified or attached to another Glycophorin (Mayer et al., 2006). In that case, a minimum change in the overall saccharide cluster composition, as happens for the different ABO phenotypes, may impair invasion. The high prevalence among Africans of ABO phenotype variants associated to higher expression of the H antigen (see the earlier description) could also contribute to a change in the saccharide profile of the cell, with reduced A antigen expression and changes in sialic acid amount and composition that may have a protective effect on invasion. In summary, there is a high diversity of invasion pathways and ligands for P. falciparum invasion. It has been suggested that the diversity

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

of surface glycan molecules represents a mechanism of pathogen evasion by long-lived vertebrates such as humans (Gagneux and Varki, 1999). Consequently, P. falciparum may have evolved polymorphisms generated by single-point mutations in their receptors to use the diversity in carbohydrate ligands (Mayer et al., 2006). Table 1.5 summarises ABO associations with molecules involved in RBC invasion pathways.

5.5. Rosetting Cerebral malaria is characterised histologically by deep vascular sequestration of mature parasites in the brain (Aikawa et al., 1980), although it is still discussed to which extent this phenomenon contributes to the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria (Miller et al., 2002; Seydel et al., 2006). Rosetting is defined by the agglutination of non-parasitised erythrocytes around RBCs containing mature forms of the parasite and probably contributes to intravascular erythrocyte sequestration by further clogging the microvasculature (Handunnetti et al., 1989). This phenomenon occurs in vitro, and isolates from patients with cerebral malaria appear to have increased rosetting properties (Carlson et al., 1990; Treutiger et al., 1992). Rosetting was established as a P. falciparum virulence factor (Carlson et al., 1994; Rowe et al., 1995), the expression of which is modified by a variety of host factors, such as host immunity, ABO blood group and haemoglobin phenotype. The molecules involved in rosetting seem to be distinct from those involved in endothelial cytoadherence, although they are often coexpressed on the same parasitised RBCs, and they share the common ligand P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), a protein expressed by the parasite and exported to the RBC membrane. The rosetting receptor in RBCs is the complement receptor type 1 (CR1). CR1 appears to carry the Knops blood group antigens with the S1(a) phenotype forming fewer rosettes (Rowe et al., 1997). Differences in rosetting ability were also observed between RBCs of different ABO blood groups, with a diminished rosetting potential in blood group O RBCs (Carlson, 1993; Kun et al., 1998). The ability of RBCs from healthy donors to form rosettes appeared to be greater in cells from group A or B than those of group O patients (Barragan et al., 2000; Chotivanich et al., 1998). An in vitro study in fresh clinical isolates from the Gambia confirmed that parasitised RBCs form rosettes more readily if belonging to group A or B than group O isolates (Udomsangpetch et al., 1993). While the rosettes formed by blood group O RBCs may be inhibited by several different saccharides, the binding of A or B RBC to P. falciparum-infected RBC could only be blocked with constituents of the terminal trisaccharides of the A or B blood group antigens. These data thus suggest that the A and B blood group antigens present on RBC glycoproteins and glycolipids constitute specific receptors for rosette formation that seem to be mediated by

Marı´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

lectin-like interactions to several carbohydrate moieties, some that are constituents of heparin or ABO blood group antigens (Carlson and Wahlgren, 1992). Impaired rosette formation may thus contribute to innate resistance to severe P. falciparum malaria that occurs in certain RBC disorders and in individuals of blood group O phenotype. The lack of correlation between rosetting and cytoadherence (Iqbal et al., 1993; Reeder et al., 1994) suggests that the linkage of mechanical blockage to pathogenesis remains hypothetical (Al-Yaman et al., 1995).

5.6. Cytoadherence Sequestration, a mechanism related to severity in falciparum malaria, occurs by means of cytoadherence to placental syncytiotrophoblast or to endothelial cells. Adherence facilitates sequestration and reduces splenic destruction, and as a consequence only ring forms are observed in peripheral blood. The knobs that appear in the surface of infected RBCs are the contact point with host cells. The sequence of events is not precisely known. Several host receptors in endothelial cells and syncytiotrophoblast have been identified which may mediate this interaction, although only CD36 and chondroitin sulphate A (CSA), respectively are associated to stable adherence (Miller et al., 2002). Many of the molecules that mediate adherence in the different tissues are associated with ABO phenotypes (Fig. 1.10), and these associations are reviewed in this chapter. The P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is a parasite polypeptide expressed in infected RBCs which mediates the attachment to host receptors. PfEMP1 contains several extracellular DBL domains (DBL 1–5), with one to two cysteine-rich inter-domain regions (CIDRs). PfEMP1 is encoded by the multiple var gene family and produces multiple adhesion phenotypes, so different parasites can bind to variable host receptors, contributing to P. falciparum pathogenesis (Chen et al., 2000a). One example of these differences in adhesion phenotypes is that the parasites which adhere to the placenta are different from those found in non-pregnant individuals (Beeson et al., 1999). In the placenta, the parasites bind to the proteoglycans hyaluronic acid and CSA through a DBL-g domain of the PfEMP1 (Beeson et al., 2000; Fried and Duffy, 1996). There are no reports of associations between DBL-g and ABO antigen expression, although it has been described that DBL-a has affinity for the A blood group (Chen et al., 2000b). Both hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate are closely related to A antigen, since both consist of repeating disaccharide units of glucuronic acid with GluNAc or GalNAc, respectively. As outlined previously, GalNAc is the terminal sugar of A antigen. GalNAc and GluNAc are important determinants for the attachment of

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

CR1

•vWF

A B

( level ABO dependent)

CD36

Plasma

A Platelets

Non-parasitised RBC

Rosetting receptors

Clumping

•CR1 •HS-like

• CD

PfEMP1

36 in platelets (expresses A)

PfEMP1

•IgM •Bllod

group A and B

Parasitised RBC

Cytoadherence (brain) •ICAM-1 •Thrombospondin •E-selectin •P-selectin

(level ABO dependent)

Cytoadherence (microvascular) •CD36

Placenta

•VCAM-1

•CSA (contains NAcGAl ) •Hyaluronic acid •Thrombomodulin

•PECAM

(CD31): (expresses A )

(level ABO dependent)

PCAM-1

VCAM-1

CD36

FIGURE 1.10 Associations ABO-rosetting and cytoadherence. The Figure shows ABO blood group interactions and expression in relation to RBC interactions and organs where cytoadherence occurs. PfRh, P. falciparum reticulocyte-binding protein homologue; vWF, von Willebrand factor; CR1, complement receptor type 1; HS-like, heparin sulphate-like; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1; CSA, chondroitin sulphate A; VCAM-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1; PECAM (CD31), platelet–endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1; PfEMP1, P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1.

the erythrocyte (Facer, 1983) and their structure is very similar. The binding of infected RBCs with CSA may be mediated by the proteoglycan thrombomodulin, that is present in placenta (Rogerson et al., 1997). It has also been described that the levels of thrombomodulin and other soluble adhesion molecules in serum are affected by ABO phenotype (Blann et al., 1996). These factors may contribute to the differences in susceptibility and parity-specific associations of ABO phenotypes with placental malaria. Conversely, CD36-binding parasites are isolated in non-pregnant individuals, and they express a PfEMP1 with a CD36-binding CIDR1. The NH (2)-terminal of the PfEMP1 (which includes DBL1a and CIDR1a) mediates adherence to multiple host receptors including platelet–endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1)/CD31, blood group A antigen and CD36 among others (Chen et al., 2000b). PECAM-1/CD31 is an integral membrane glycoprotein found on the surface of human platelets, leukocytes and the intercellular junction of endothelial cells. PECAM-1 expresses blood group A determinant (Curtis et al., 2000). It has also been described that CD36 in platelets expresses the A antigen (Stockelberg et al., 1996). This may be relevant to pathogenesis because platelet-mediated clumping

Marı´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

is strongly associated with severe malaria: Some malaria-infected erythrocytes can auto-agglutinate, and this is mediated by platelets that express surface glycoprotein CD36 (Pain et al., 2001). Cytoadherence in the brain may be associated with the intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and to the level of expression of ICAM-1 in brain endothelium (Ockenhouse et al., 1991). No association has been found between ICAM-1 level (in brain or in serum) and ABO phenotype. Other receptors involved in brain sequestration are thrombospondin, E-selectin and P-selectin. Soluble levels of E-selectin but not P-selectin differ according to ABO phenotype (Blann et al., 1996). No association has been described between ABO and thrombospondin, although this molecule is a repeat within the ADAMTS metalloprotease which produces proteolysis of von Willebrand factor, a substance related to ABO phenotypes. The von Willebrand factor (vWF) has gained considerable interest in recent years as a marker of endothelial cell activation or insult and by virtue of its interactions with platelets and vessel walls. However, little is known about its association and other markers with malaria. ABO is associated with different levels of vWF, and it accounts for 19% of the total variance in vWF:Ag (p < 0.0001) and race for 7% (p < 0.0001), for a total of 26%. O subjects had significantly lower levels (Miller et al., 2003). In addition, the susceptibility of vWF of blood group O, A, B and AB to proteolysis by the ADAMTS13 metalloprotease was greater for group O vWF than for non-O vWF in the rank order O B > A AB. The loss of collagen-binding activity of vWF following proteolysis was greater for group O compared with non-O vWF, in the same rank order (Bowen, 2003). Since there is an influence of the ABO blood group on von Willebrand factor and Factor VIII, and Von Willebrand factor interacts with at least two platelet membrane receptors, ABO could also have an effect on platelet function. Sweeney et al. (1989) found that the aggregation response to ristocetin was better in group O than in group A despite the lower vWf:Ag levels, suggesting an influence of blood group antigens on the interaction between von Willebrand’s factor and platelets. Hollestelle et al. (2006) found a significant rise in vWF and vWF propeptide, which were highest in severe malaria, indicating that acute endothelial cell activation is a hallmark of malaria in children. Hence, ABO could also affect susceptibility to severe malaria through its association with vWF levels. All three members of the family of adhesion molecules (L-, P- and E-selectin) have amino terminal C-type lectin domains that bind carbohydrates. The role of sialic acids in ligand recognition by the selectins was also evident from early studies. Lewis is a blood group closely related to ABO in terms of its synthetic pathway that shows some sialylated forms. Several groups reported that the selectins recognise sialylated structures

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

of the Lewis blood group (Le) as the sialyl Lea, and other Lewis-related sequences (Berg et al., 1991; Fukuda et al., 1999; Grinnell et al., 1983; Lowe et al., 1990; Phillips et al., 1990; Walz et al., 1990). In relation to malaria, it has been shown that naturally occurring glycoproteins of malariainfected RBCs had an enhanced lectin-binding ability with wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA) lectin among others (Kumar et al., 2006). This particular WGA precipitated up to 50% when put in contact with a cyst glycoprotein from a human blood group Le(a Ăž) containing unusually high amount (18%) of sialic acid (Wu et al., 1996). There are some differences in Lewis antigen level according to ABO phenotype since A, B and AB cells carry less Le antigen than O cells, because their respective transferases use the same precursors. A recent hypothesis has been presented that falciparum malaria may account for the three-fold higher prevalence of the Le(a b ) phenotype among people of African ancestry (Cserti and Dzik, 2007). Until recently, the sequestration of erythrocytes infected with P. falciparum was thought to be due to one of a number of proteinâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;protein interactions. There is now evidence that sacharidae are relevant in cytoadherence, and that infected erythrocytes can also adhere to proteoglycans. Binding of infected erythrocytes to CSA and other proteoglycans could be crucial to the development of malarial infection of the placenta, and possibly to sequestration in the lung and brain (Rogerson and Brown, 1997), since chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans constitute the major population of proteoglycans in the central nervous system (Schwartz and Domowicz, 2004). ABO phenotype interacts in an indirect or direct form in many aspects and organs where cytoadherence occurs (Fig. 1.10).

6. CONCLUSIONS AND RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS There are clear associations between group A (and also B but to a lesser extent) and clinical severity, and group O and milder disease in children. The meta-analysis conclusion should be interpreted cautiously because of the heterogeneity of study outcomes; but the consistency of the results for A and O phenotypes supports the association. A limitation in drawing this conclusion concerns publication bias towards the reporting of positive results. A further limitation is the lack of genotype information on ABO groups, since all studies were based on phenotypic data. Genotypes (i.e., AO vs AA, A1 vs A2) show differences at a molecular level that could be relevant to these findings. The geographic distribution of the O phenotype in Africa is consistent with selection pressure related to malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. The higher prevalence in Africans of phenotypes associated with higher expression of H antigen in cells could reinforce the hypothesis for a protective effect in malaria severity. Among pregnant subjects, two studies reported an association of similar

MarÄąÂ´a-Paz Loscertales et al.

magnitude between blood group O and induction of parity-specific immunity to placental malaria in multigravidae living under conditions of high malaria transmission. Several mechanisms relate to these associations including affinity for A. gambiae; shared ABO antigens with P. falciparum; impairment of merozoite penetration of RBCs; and cytoadherence, endothelial activation and rosetting. In particular, ABO blood group associations with molecules involved with RBC invasion pathways suggest that ABO characteristics are central to the integrity of the RBC invasion process. Sugar components on glycophorin, in particular GluNAc and GalNAc, are critical for parasite attachment. As GalNAc is the terminal sugar of the A antigen, this could relate to the observed malaria susceptibility associated with the A phenotype. ABO phenotypes could also influence cytoadherence through effects on platelet function or endothelial adhesion mediators. We identified no information on association with therapeutic response to antimalarials, to the emergence of drug resistant parasites or to their potential influence on efficacy of candidate malaria vaccines. However, the genetic influence of ABO phenotypes in relation to falciparum malaria susceptibility indicates their central importance for pathogenesis. Future clinical studies of malarial disease should include characterisation of these phenotypes, as well as genotype determination in order to establish more precise associations. In summary, ABO antigens and oligosaccharide chains attached to cell surfaces and extracellular proteins or lipids provide new insights into the different steps of P. falciparum pathogenesis. The picture could be more complex than previously thought because the same glycans may participate in variable functions independent of malaria, including structural roles and specific recognition by endogenous or exogenous lectin receptors. From an evolutionary point of view, when a lethal pathogen recognises a glycan sequence, that also serves as a ligand for one or more unrelated endogenous lectins (as happens with sialic acid), then the elimination of this sequence would be detrimental, independent of selection pressure of malaria. Sialic acid bound to RBCs may act as a decoy for viruses that require nucleated cells for replication and at the same time act as a receptor for malaria (Gagneux and Varki, 1999). These essential functions of the glycan residues (in the form of sialic or ABO) would lead to varied selection pressure and contribute further to the reduced ability to evade malaria infection through molecule suppression. The role of glycans in the pathogenesis of malaria may not relate solely to a single molecule, but to a cluster of saccharidae patches, each of which could be associated with higher or lower susceptibility within a whole spectrum. Research into the relationship between the ABO blood group phenotypes and malaria pathogenesis may open a new insight into the

ABO Blood Group Phenotypes and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

glycobiology of infectious diseases and contribute to a wider understanding of malaria pathogenesis. Hopefully, this will lead to the development of improved strategies to reduce the magnitude of the burden of malaria experienced by so many populations.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to express our appreciation to the following colleagues for providing unpublished data: Dr. Cynthia Donkor, Dr. Phil Fischer and Dr. Edward Senga.

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CHAPTER

2 Structure and Content of the Entamoeba histolytica Genome C. G. Clark,* U. C. M. Alsmark,† M. Tazreiter,‡ Y. Saito-Nakano,} V. Ali,} S. Marion,k,1 C. Weber,k C. Mukherjee,# I. Bruchhaus,** E. Tannich,** M. Leippe,†† T. Sicheritz-Ponten,‡‡ P. G. Foster,}} J. Samuelson,}} C. J. Noe¨l,† R. P. Hirt,† T. M. Embley,† C. A. Gilchrist,kk B. J. Mann,kk U. Singh,## J. P. Ackers,* S. Bhattacharya,a A. Bhattacharya,b A. Lohia,# N. Guille´n,k M. Ducheˆne,‡ T. Nozaki,} and N. Hallc,2

* Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London

WC1E 7HT, UK Division of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK Department of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria } Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan } Department of Parasitology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan k Institut Pasteur, Unite´ Biologie Cellulaire du Parasitisme and INSERM U786, F-75015 Paris, France # Department of Biochemistry, Bose Institute, Kolkata 700054, India ** Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, D-20359 Hamburg, Germany {{ Zoologisches Institut der Universita¨t Kiel, D-24098 Kiel, Germany {{ Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, BioCentrum-DTU, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark }} Department of Zoology, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK }} Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118 kk Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908 ## Departments of Internal Medicine, Microbiology, and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305 a School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India b School of Life Sciences and Information Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India c The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Maryland 20850 1 Present address: Cell Biology and Biophysics Program, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany 2 Present address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom { {

Advances in Parasitology, Volume 65 ISSN 0065-308X, DOI: 10.1016/S0065-308X(07)65002-7

C. G. Clark et al.

Contents

1. Introduction 2. Genome Structure 2.1. The E. histolytica genome sequencing, assembly and annotation process 2.2. Karyotype and chromosome structure 2.3. Ribosomal RNA genes 2.4. tRNA genes 2.5. LINEs 2.6. SINEs 2.7. Other repeats 2.8. Gene number 2.9. Gene structure 2.10. Gene size 2.11. Protein domain content 2.12. Translation-related proteins 2.13. Analysis of cell cycle genes 2.14. Transcription 3. Virulence Factors 3.1. Gal/GalNAc lectin 3.2. Cysteine endopeptidases 3.3. Amoebapores and related proteins 3.4. Antioxidants 4. Metabolism 4.1. Energy metabolism 4.2. Amino acid catabolism 4.3. Polyamine metabolism 4.4. Biosynthesis of amino acids 4.5. Lipid metabolism 4.6. Coenzyme A biosynthesis and pantothenate metabolism 4.7. Nucleic acid metabolism 4.8. Missing pieces 4.9. Transporters 5. The Cytoskeleton 5.1. Actin and microfilaments 5.2. Tubulins and microtubules 5.3. Molecular motors 6. Vesicular Traffic 6.1. Complexity of vesicle trafficking 6.2. Proteins involved in vesicle formation 6.3. Proteins involved in vesicle fusion 6.4. Comparisons and implications 6.5. Glycosylation and protein folding 7. Proteins Involved in Signalling 7.1. Phosphatases 7.2. Kinases 7.3. Calcium binding proteins

53 55 55 56 58 58 59 61 62 63 64 64 66 69 70 72 75 75 77 84 88 92 92 99 104 105 107 112 113 113 113 114 114 116 117 119 119 120 124 128 129 134 134 138 141

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

8. The Mitosome 9. Encystation 9.1. Chitin synthases 9.2. Chitin deacetylases 9.3. Chitinases 9.4. Jacob lectins 9.5. Gal/GalNAc lectins 9.6. Summary and comparisons 10. Evidence of Lateral Gene Transfer in the E. histolytica Genome 10.1. How do the 96 LGT cases stand up? 10.2. Where do the genes come from? 10.3. What kinds of gene are being transferred? 11. Microarray Analysis 12. Future Prospects for the E. histolytica Genome Acknowledgements References

Abstract

142 143 143 143 145 145 145 146 147 147 157 158 158 163 164 164

The intestinal parasite Entamoeba histolytica is one of the first protists for which a draft genome sequence has been published. Although the genome is still incomplete, it is unlikely that many genes are missing from the list of those already identified. In this chapter we summarise the features of the genome as they are currently understood and provide previously unpublished analyses of many of the genes.

1. INTRODUCTION Entamoeba histolytica is one of the most widespread and clinically important parasites, causing both serious intestinal (amoebic colitis) and extraintestinal (amoebic liver abscess) diseases throughout the world. A recent World Health Organization estimate (WHO, 1998) places E. histolytica second after Plasmodium falciparum as causing the most deaths annually (70,000) among protistan parasites. Recently a draft of the complete genome of E. histolytica was published (Loftus et al., 2005) making it one of the first protist genomes to be sequenced. The E. histolytica genome project was initiated in 2000 with funding from the Wellcome Trust and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) in the UK and the USA, respectively. The publication describing the draft sequence concentrated on the expanded gene families, metabolism and the role of horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of E. histolytica. In this chapter we summarise

C. G. Clark et al.

the structure and content of the E. histolytica genome in comparison to other sequenced parasitic eukaryotes, provide a description of the current assembly and annotation, place the inferred gene content in the context of what is known about the biology of the organism and discuss plans for completing the E. histolytica genome project and extending genome sequencing to other species of Entamoeba. The fact that the genome sequence is still a draft has several important consequences. The first is that a few genes may be missing from the sequence data we have at present, although the number is likely to be small. For example, at least one gene (amoebapore B) is not present in the genome data despite it having been cloned, sequenced and the protein extensively characterised well before the start of the genome project. The second consequence is that the assembly contains a number of large duplicated regions that may be assembly artefacts, meaning that the number of gene copies is overestimated in several cases. These problems cannot as yet be resolved but should be eventually as more data becomes available. Nevertheless, it is important to remember these issues when reading the rest of this chapter. As the number of genes in E. histolytica runs into several thousands, it is not possible to discuss all of them. However, we have generated a number of tables that identify many genes and link them to their entries in GenBank using the relevant protein identifier. Only a few tables are included in the text of this chapter, but the others are available online as supplementary material, http://pathema.tigr.org/pathema/entamoeba_resources.shtml. The E. histolytica genome project data are being ‘curated’ at the J. Craig Venter Institute ( JCVI, formerly TIGR), and it is on that site that the most current version of the assembled genome will be found. The ‘Pathema’ database will hold the data and the annotation (http://pathema.tigr.org/). The gene tables are also linked to the appropriate entry in the Pathema database, and the links will be maintained as the genome structure is refined over time. Reference is made throughout the text to other species of Entamoeba where data are available. Entamoeba dispar is the sister species to E. histolytica and infects humans without causing symptoms. Entamoeba invadens is a reptilian parasite that causes invasive disease, primarily in snakes and lizards, and is widely used as a model for E. histolytica in the study of encystation, although the two species are not very closely related (Clark et al., 2006b). Genome projects for both these species are under way at TIGR, and it is anticipated that high-quality draft sequences will be produced for both in the near future. It is hoped that the E. dispar sequence will prove useful in identifying genomic differences linked to disease causation while that of E. invadens will be used to study patterns of gene expression during encystation. Small-scale genome surveys have been performed for two other species: Entamoeba moshkovskii, which is primarily a free-living species although it occasionally infects humans,

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

and Entamoeba terrapinae, a reptilian commensal species, http://www. sanger.ac.uk/Projects/Comp_Entamoeba/

2. GENOME STRUCTURE 2.1. The E. histolytica genome sequencing, assembly and annotation process The first choice to be made in the genome project was perhaps the easiestâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the identity of the strain to be used for sequencing. A significant majority of the existing sequence data prior to the genome project was derived from one strain: HM-1:IMSS. This culture was established in 1967 from a rectal biopsy of a Mexican man with amoebic dysentery and axenised shortly thereafter. It has been used widely for virulence, immunology, cell biology and biochemistry in addition to genetic studies. In an attempt to minimise the effects of long-term culture cryopreserved cells that had been frozen in the early 1970s were revived and this uncloned culture used to generate the DNA for sequencing. Before undertaking a genome scale analysis, it is important to understand the quality and provenance of the underlying data. The E. histolytica genome was sequenced by whole genome shotgun approach with each centre generating roughly half of the reads. Several different DNA libraries containing inserts of different sizes were produced using DNA that had been randomly sheared and sequences were obtained from both ends of each cloned fragment. The Phusion assembler (Mullikin and Ning, 2003) was used to assemble the 450,000 short reads into larger contigs (contiguous sequences), resulting in 1819 genome fragments that were 12 deep, which means that each base has been sequenced 12 times, on average. While the genome shotgun sequence provides high coverage of each base, it is inevitable that there will be misassemblies and sequencing errors in the final consensus particularly towards each end of the contigs. Another problem with draft sequence is that it contains gaps, and while most of these will be small and will mostly contain repetitive non-coding â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;junkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sequence, some of the gaps will probably contain genes. This makes it impossible to be absolutely certain of the absence of particular genes in E. histolytica and, in some cases, the presence or absence of particular biological pathways. Due to the high repeat content and low GC content (24.1%) of the E. histolytica genome, closure of the remaining gaps is likely to be a lengthy process. Therefore, it was decided to undertake and publish an analysis of the genome draft following assembly of the shotgun reads. Annotation of the protein coding regions of the genome was initially carried out using two genefinders [GlimmerHMM (Majoros et al., 2004)

C. G. Clark et al.

and Phat (Cawley et al., 2001)] previously used successfully on another low G þ C genome, that of P. falciparum. The software was re-trained specifically for analysis of the E. histolytica genome. The training process involved preparing a set of 600 manually edited genes to be used as models with the subsequent genefinding then being carried out on all of the assembled contigs to generate a ‘complete’ gene set. Predicted gene functions were generated automatically by homology searches using public protein and protein-domain databases, with subsequent refinement of identifications being carried out by manual inspection. For particular genes and gene families of special interest, members of the Entamoeba scientific community were involved throughout this process as expert curators with each individual assisting in the analysis and annotation of their genes of interest. Therefore although the manual curation of the genome has not been systematic, those areas of biology that are of primary interest to the Entamoeba community have been annotated most thoroughly. The publication of the genome by Loftus et al. therefore represents a ‘first draft’ of the complete genome sequence and the level of annotation is similar to the initial publications of other genomes such as Drosophila (Adams et al., 2000; Myers et al., 2000) and human (Lander et al., 2001).

2.2. Karyotype and chromosome structure The current E. histolytica genome assembly is 23.7 million basepairs (Mbp) in size (Table 2.1). This figure is not likely to be a very accurate measure. In part this is due to misassembly of repetitive regions, which will cause the genome to appear smaller and in part because of the possibility of aneuploidy in some regions of the genome, which would cause them to appear more than once in the assembly. Overall, however, this size is not inconsistent with data from pulse-field gels (Willhoeft and Tannich, 1999) and kinetic experiments (Gelderman et al., 1971a,b) making the E. histolytica genome comparable in size (24 Mbp) to that of P. falciparum (23 Mbp) (Gardner et al., 2002), Trypanosoma brucei (26 Mbp) (Berriman et al., 2005) and the free-living amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum (34 Mbp) (Eichinger et al., 2005). The current assembly does not represent complete chromosomes. Analysis of pulse-field gels predicts 14 chromosomes ranging in sizes from 0.3 to 2.2 Mbp and possibly a ploidy of 4 (Willhoeft and Tannich, 1999). There is no current information regarding the size and nature of the centromeres, and there are no contigs that appear to contain likely centromeric regions based on comparisons with other organisms. A search for signature telomeric repeats within the data indicates that these are either not present in the genome, not present in our contigs, or are diverged enough to be unidentifiable. However, there is circumstantial evidence

TABLE 2.1

Genome summary statistics for selected single celled organisms with sequenced genomes

Statistica

Genome Size (Mbp) G Ăž C content (%) Gene number Av. gene size (bp) % coding DNA Av. protein size (aa) Av. intergenic dist. (kb) Gene density (kb per gene) % Genes with introns Av. intron size (bp) Av. number of introns/gene a

Entamoeba histolytica

Plasmodium falciparum

Dictyostelium discoideum

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Encephalitozoon cuniculi

23.7 24.1 9938 1167 49.2 389 0.8

22.8 19.4 5268 2534 52.6 761 1.7

33.8 22.5 12,500 1756 ND 518 0.8

12.5 38 5538 1428 70.5 475 0.6

2.5 45.5 1997 1077 ND 359 0.1

1.9

4.3

2.5

2.2 kb

1.1

25.2 102.1 1.5

54 179 2.6

69 146 1.9

5 ND 1

<1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1

Abbreviations: Mbp: million basepairs; kb: kilobasepairs; bp: basepairs; aa: amino acids, ND: not determined.

C. G. Clark et al.

that the chromosome ends may contain arrays of transfer RNA (tRNA) genes (see Section 2.4).

2.3. Ribosomal RNA genes The organisation of the structural RNA genes in E. histolytica is unusual with the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes carried exclusively on 24 kilobasepair (kb) circular episomes (Bhattacharya et al., 1998) that have two transcription units in an inverted repeat. These episomes are believed to make up about 20% of the total cellular DNA; indeed, roughly 15% of all of the sequencing reads generated in the genome project were derived from this molecule with the exception of certain libraries where attempts were made to exclude it. There are thought to be numerous other circular DNA molecules of varying sizes present with unknown functions (Dhar et al., 1995; Lioutas et al., 1995), but unfortunately they have not yet been identified in the genome shotgun sequence data. The exact reasons for this are unknown, but the small size of the DNA may have prevented proper shearing during the library construction process. These molecules represent an intriguing unsolved aspect of the E. histolytica genome.

2.4. tRNA genes Perhaps the most unusual structural feature identified in the E. histolytica genome is the unprecedented number and organisation of its tRNA genes (Clark et al., 2006a). Over 10% of the sequence reads contained tRNA genes, and these are (with a few exceptions) organised in linear arrays. The array organisation of the tRNAs was immediately obvious in some cases from the presence of more than one repeat unit in individual sequence reads and in other cases from their presence in both reads from the two ends of the same clone. However, because of the near complete identity of the array units they were impossible to assemble by the software used and therefore the size of the arrays cannot be estimated accurately. By manual assembly of tRNA gene-containing reads, 25 distinct arrays with unit sizes ranging from under 500 bp to over 1750 bp were identified (Clark et al., 2006a). The arrayed genes are predicted to be functional because of the 42 acceptor types found in arrays none has been found elsewhere in the genome. These array units encode between one and five tRNAs and a few tRNA genes are found in more than one unit. Three arrays also encode the 5S RNA and one encodes what is thought to be a small nuclear RNA. Experimental quantitative hybridisations suggest a copy number of between about 70 and 250 for various array units. In total it is estimated that there are about 4500 tRNA genes in the genome.

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

The frequency of a particular tRNA gene appears to be independent of the codon usage in E. histolytica protein-coding genes. Between the genes in the array units are complex, non-coding, short tandem repeats ranging in size from 5 to over 36 bp. Some variation in short tandem repeat number is observed between copies of the same array unit, but this variation is usually minor and not visible when inter-tRNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification is performed. However, these regions often exhibit substantial variation when different isolates of E. histolytica are compared and this is the basis of a recently described genotyping method for this organism (Ali et al., 2005). There is indirect evidence to suggest that the tRNA arrays are present at the ends of chromosomes. Although allelic E. histolytica chromosomes often differ substantially in size in pulse-field gels, a central proteinencoding region appears to be conserved as DNA digested with rare cutting enzymes gives only a single band in Southern blots when most protein-coding genes are used as probes. In contrast, when some tRNA arrays are used as probes on such blots, the same number of bands is seen in digested and undigested DNA. It is therefore tempting to conclude that the tRNA genes are at the ends of the chromosomes and to speculate that these repeat units may perform a structural role. In D. discoideum it is thought that rDNA may function as a telomere in some cases (Eichinger et al., 2005) and the tRNA arrays in E. histolytica may perform a similar role. The chromosomal regions flanking the tRNA arrays are generally devoid of protein coding genes but often contain incomplete transposable elements (see next section) and other repetitive sequences (Clark et al., 2006a). This is also consistent with a telomeric location.

2.5. LINEs The E. histolytica genome is littered with transposable elements. There are two major types of autonomous LINEs (long interspersed elements) of which there are three subtypes (EhLINE 1, 2 and 3) and there are two types of SINEs (short interspersed elements) (Eh SINE1 and 2) (Table 2.2a). The classification of these elements and their organisation has been reviewed recently (Bakre et al., 2005). Phylogenetic analysis of the EhLINEs places them in the R4 clade of non-long terminal repeat (LTR) elements, a mixed clade of elements that includes members from nematodes, insects and vertebrates (Van Dellen et al., 2002a). Analysis of the E. histolytica genome shows no evidence for the presence of LTR retrotransposons and very few DNA transposons (of the Mutator family) (Pritham et al., 2005). All copies of EhLINEs examined encode non-conservative amino acid changes, frame shifts and/or stop codons and no copy with a continuous

TABLE 2.2

Summary properties of the repeated DNAs

(a) References for dataa

Repeat type

Size in kb

EhLINE1

4.8

EhLINE2

4.72

EhLINE3 EhSINE1

4.81 0.5–0.6

EhSINE2

0.65

EhSINE3 Tr BspA-like Ehssp1

0.58 0.7 0.96 0.9–1.1

Estimated copy no. from genome sequence (Ref no.) 142 (1) 409; 49 full-length (2) 79 (1) 290; 56 full-length (2) 12 (1) 52; 3 full-length (2) 219 (1) 272; 81 full-length (2) 214; >90 full-length (3) 120 (1) 117; 62 full-length (2) 122; 50 full-length (3) 1 (1,2) 1 per rDNA episome (5) 77 (8) Not Determined

Estimated copy no. per haploid genome from hybridisation (Ref no.) 140 (3)

Transcript size in kb (Ref no.)

Not Determined

No full-length transcript (4) Not Determined

Not Determined 500

Not Determined 0.7 (6)

Not Determined

0.75 (7)

Not Determined Not Determined 190 (3) 306 (9)

Not detected (3) 0.7 (5) Not detected (3)b 1.5 (9)

(b) Consensus sequences of Family 16 and 17 repeatsc

a b c

Family

Sequence

Family 16 Family 17

GTAATGAATATAYAACTAAGAATTTCATT TAAAATGRATATG CAACAAATAAATRGKTTCAATAAAATA

(1): Van Dellen et al. (2002a); (2): Bakre et al. (2005); (3): This analysis; (4): A. A. Bakre and S. Bhattacharya (unpublished data); (5): Burch et al. (1991); (6): Cruz-Reyes et al. (1995); (7): Shire and Ackers (2007); (8): Davis et al. (2006); (9): Satish et al. (2003). Although no transcript was detected, the protein has been demonstrated on the cell surface and in Western blots using antibodies (Davis et al., 2006). Standard abbreviation for degenerate sequence positions are used: R ¼ purine, Y ¼ pyrimidine, K ¼ G or T.

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

open reading frame (ORF) has yet been found. This suggests that the majority of these elements are inactive. However, a large number of EhLINE1 copies do contain long ORFs without mutations in the conserved protein motifs of the reverse transcriptase (RT) and restriction enzyme-like endonuclease (EN) domains, suggesting that inactivity is quite recent. ESTs corresponding to EhLINEs have been found suggesting that transcription of these elements still occurs. Although most R4 elements insert in a site-specific manner, EhLINEs do not show strict site-specificity and are widely dispersed in the genome. They are quite frequently found close to protein-coding genes and inserted near T-rich stretches (Bakre et al., 2005). All three EhLINE subtypes are of approximately equal size ranging from 4715 to 4811 bp in length. Individual members within an EhLINE family typically share >85% identity, while between families they are <60% identical. By aligning the available sequences, each EhLINE can be interpreted to encode a single predicted ORF that spans almost the entire element (EhLINE1, 1589 aa; EhLINE2, 1567 aa; EhLINE3, 1587 aa). However, a precise 5-bp duplication at nucleotide position 1442 in about 80% of the copies of EhLINE1 creates a stop codon, dividing the single ORF into two. Similarly in 92% of EhLINE2 copies, the single ORF contains a precise deletion of two nucleotides at position 1272, resulting in two ORFs. Very few intact copies of EhLINE3 are found. The location of the stop codon leading to two ORFs appears to be conserved since in both EhLINE1 and EhLINE2 the size of ORF1 is about half that of ORF2 (Bakre et al., 2005). Among the identifiable domains in the predicted proteins are RT and EN. The putative 50 and 30 untranslated regions are very short (3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;44 bp). EhLINEs 1 and 2 appear to be capable of mobilising partner SINEs (see next section) for which abundant transcripts have been detected in E. histolytica. Putative LINE/SINE partners can be assigned on the basis of conserved sequences at the 30 -ends of certain pairs, which otherwise showed no sequence similarity. The relevance of this assignment for the EhLINE1/SINE1 pair has recently been demonstrated (Mandal et al., 2004).

2.6. SINEs The two EhSINEs are clearly related to the EhLINEs, as they have a conserved 30 sequence. They are nonautonomous, non-LTR retrotransposons (nonautonomous SINEs). The genetic elements encoding the abundant polyadenylated but untranslatable transcripts found in E. histolytica cDNA libraries [initially designated interspersed elements (Cruz-Reyes and Ackers, 1992; Cruz-Reyes et al., 1995) or ehapt2 (Willhoeft et al., 2002)] have now been designated EhSINE1 (Van Dellen et al., 2002a; Willhoeft et al., 2002). BLAST searching of databases with representative examples

C. G. Clark et al.

of the first 44 EhSINE1s detected has identified 90 full-length ( 99% complete) copies and at least a further 120 partial ( 50% of full length) copies in the genome. Length variation is observed among EhSINE1s and is largely due to variable numbers of internal 26–27 bp repeats (J. P. Ackers, unpublished data). The majority contain 2 internal repeats and cluster closely around 546 bp in length. A second E. histolytica SINE (EhSINE2) has recently been described (Van Dellen et al., 2002a; Willhoeft et al., 2002). Examination of the 4 published sequences again suggests the presence of variable numbers of short (20 bp) imperfect repeats. BLAST searching identified a total of 47 fulllength ( 99%) and at least 60 partial copies in the genome. The 30 -end of EhSINE2 shows high similarity (76%) to the 30 end of EhLINE2. A polyadenylated transcript designated UEE1 found commonly in cDNA libraries from E. dispar (Sharma et al., 1999) is also a non-LTR retrotransposon. A single copy of a UEE1-like element has been identified in the E. histolytica genome and is here designated EhSINE3. There is no significant sequence identity between EhSINE3 and EhLINE3, but the 30 end of EhSINE3 is very similar to that of EhLINE1. Analysis of an E. histolytica EST library identified over 500 significant hits to both EhSINE1 and EhSINE2. No convincing transcript from EhSINE3 could be identified, although the nearly identical E. dispar UEE elements (EdSINE1; Shire and Ackers, 2007) are abundantly transcribed. A very abundant polyadenylated transcript, ehapt1, was described by Willhoeft et al. (1999) in a cDNA library. However, only a small number of partial matches could be found in the current E. histolytica assembly and only 10–20 strong hits in the much larger E. histolytica EST library now available. ehapt1 does not appear to be a SINE element, and its nature is currently unclear. The lack of matches in the genome suggests that either it is encoded in regions missing from the current assembly or it contains numerous introns.

2.7. Other repeats The E. histolytica genome contains a number of other repetitive elements whose functions are not always clear. There are over 75 genes encoding leucine-rich tandem repeats (LRR) of the type found in BspA-like proteins of the Treponema pallidum LRR (TpLRR) subfamily, which has a consensus sequence of LxxIxIxxVxxIgxxAFxxCxx (Davis et al., 2006). These proteins generally have a surface location and may be involved in cell–cell interaction. Genes encoding such proteins are mainly found in Bacteria and some Archaea; so far they have been identified in only one other eukaryote, Trichomonas vaginalis (Hirt et al., 2002). An extensive description of the BspA-like proteins of E. histolytica has recently been

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

published (Davis et al., 2006) and one of them has been shown to be surface exposed (Davis et al., 2006). E. histolytica stress sensitive protein (Ehssp) 1 is a dispersed, polymorphic and multicopy gene family (Satish et al., 2003) and is present in 300 copies per haploid genome as determined by hybridisation (Table 2.2a). The average Ehssp1 ORF is 1 kb in length with a centrally located acidicbasic region (ABR) that is highly polymorphic. Unlike other such domains no clear repetitive motifs are present. The protein has, on average, 21% acidic (aspartate and glutamate) and 17% basic (arginine and lysine) amino acids, most of which are located in the ABR. The ABR varies in size from 5 to 104 amino acids among the various copies. No size polymorphism is seen outside the central ABR domain. The genes have an unusually long 50 untranslated region (UTR; 280 nucleotides). Only one or a few copies of the gene are transcribed during normal growth, but many are turned on under stress conditions. Homologues of this gene are present in E. dispar, but there is very little size polymorphism in the E. dispar gene family. Eukaryotic genomes usually contain numerous microsatellite loci with repeat sizes of two to three basepairs. With the exception of di- and trinucleotides made up entirely of AĂžT such sequences are rare in the E. histolytica genome. In contrast, two dispersed repeated sequences of unknown function occur far more frequently than would be expected at random. Family 16 has a 42 base consensus sequence and occurs 38 times in the genome while family 17 has a 27 base consensus sequence and occurs 35 time in the genome (Table 2.2b). The significance of these sequences remains to be determined.

2.8. Gene number The current assembly predicts that the genome contains around 10,000 genes, almost twice as many as seen in P. falciparum (Gardner et al., 2002) or Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Goffeau et al., 1996) but closer to that of the free-living protist D. discoideum ( 12,500; Eichinger et al., 2005). It should be remembered that this number will change as the assembly improves, and is likely to decrease somewhat. Nevertheless, the comparatively large gene number when compared to some other parasitic organisms reflects both the relative complexity of E. histolytica and the presence of large gene families, despite the loss of certain genes as a consequence of parasitism. Both gene loss and gain can represent an adaptive response to life in the human host. Gene loss is most evident in the reconstruction of metabolic pathways of E. histolytica, which show a consistent pattern of loss of synthetic capacity as a consequence of life in an environment rich in complex nutrient sources. Similarly, analyses of expanded gene families with identifiable functions indicate that many are directly associated with

C. G. Clark et al.

the ability to sense and adapt to the environment within the human host and the ability to ingest and assimilate the nutrients present. One consequence of these gene family expansions being linked to phagocytosis of bacteria and other cells may be an association between many of these gene families and pathogenicity.

2.9. Gene structure Most E. histolytica genes comprise only a single exon; however as many as 25% may be spliced and 6% contain 2 or more introns. Therefore, mRNA splicing is far less common than in the related protist D. discoideum or the malaria parasite P. falciparum. The genome contains all of the essential machinery for splicing (see Section 2.14) and a comparison of intron positions suggests that D. discoideum and E. histolytica have both lost introns since their shared common ancestor with P. falciparum, although many more have been lost in the E. histolytica lineage. A good example of this intron loss is the vacuolar ATP synthase subunit D gene (Fig. 2.1). This protein is highly conserved but the number of introns in each gene varies. P. falciparum has five introns, D. discoideum has two and E. histolytica has one. The positions of three of the five P. falciparum introns are conserved in one of the other species, which suggests that these three (at least) were present in the common ancestor and that intron loss has led to the lower number seen in E. histolytica today. This loss is consistent with reverse transcriptase mediated 30 intron loss (Roy and Gilbert, 2005) as the 50 -most introns are retained. It would appear that this process has been more active in the E. histolytica and D. discoideum lineages than in P. falciparum, possibly because Plasmodium lacks a reverse transcriptase.

2.10. Gene size Genes in E. histolytica are surprisingly short, not only due to the loss of introns but also in the predicted lengths of the proteins they code for. On average the predicted length of a protein in E. histolytica is 389 amino acids (aa) which is 129 aa and 372 aa shorter than in D. discoideum and I1

P. falciparum (PF13_0227) E. histolytica (AAFB01000504) D. discoideum (DDB0167892)

FIGURE 2.1 Positions of introns in the vacuolar ATPase subunit D gene in P. falciparum, D. discoideum and E. histolytica.

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

P. falciparum respectively. In fact the protein length distribution is most similar to that of the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi (Fig. 2.2) which has a very compact genome of 3 Mbp and <2000 genes. Direct A

Protein size distribution

Proportion of proteome

0.30 DD EH PF SC EC

0.25 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0 −1 00

60 0

−1

0 90 −1 00 18

12 0

1 0−

0−

4 0−

1 0−

Protein size (AA)

Number of proteins

B 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 −50

Degree of reduction in length of proteins in E. histolytica compared to D. discoideum

0 10 20 −40 −30 −20 −10 30 40 Relative size change in Eh compared to Dd (%)

50 k

FIGURE 2.2 Comparison of protein sizes in E. histolytica and D. discoideum. (A) The graph shows the distribution of predicted amino acid length across sequenced genomes from single celled eukaryotes: D. discoideum (DD) Encephalitozoon cuniculi (EC), P. falciparum (PF), E. histolytica (EH), and S. cerevisiae (SC). Entamoeba histolytica and E. cuniculi have a distribution that is skewed towards smaller proteins relative to the other species. (B) The histogram displays the degree of size change of genes in E. histolytica relative to D. discoideum when comparing orthologous genes identified by reciprocal best BLAST hits. The black bars show genes that are smaller in E. histolytica where as the gray bars are smaller in D. discoideum.

C. G. Clark et al.

comparison of orthologous genes between E. histolytica and its closest sequenced relative D. discoideum demonstrates this phenomenon quite well, with the majority of E. histolytica proteins being shorter than the D. discoideum counterpart (N. Hall, unpublished data). Protein length is normally very well conserved among eukaryotes, so the reason for protein shortening is unclear. It has been postulated that in bacteria reduced protein lengths reflects a reduced capacity for signalling (Zhang, 2000). This would not seem to be the case here as the number of genes identified as having a role in signalling suggests quite the opposite. An alternative theory is that as E. histolytica has reduced organelles it is possible that its proteins contain fewer or simpler targeting signals.

2.11. Protein domain content The most common protein family (Pfam) domains of E. histolytica are shown in Table 2.3. The domains that are unusually common in E. histolytica reflect some of the more unusual aspects of the biology of this protist. For example, the Rab and Rho families that are involved in signalling and vesicle trafficking are among the most common domains in E. histolytica while in other species they are not often among the top 50 families. This could well be due to the fact that E. histolytica has a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;predatoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; life style, and these domains are intimately involved in environmental sensing, endocytosis and delivery of lysosomes to the phagosome. There are also a number of domains involved in actin dynamics and cytoskeletal rearrangement that are not common in non-phagocytic species, such as the gelsolin and Src-homology 3 (SH3) domains. Myb domains are the most common transcription regulatory domains in E. histolytica; this domain is also common in plants where the proteins regulate many plant-specific pathways (Ito, 2005). An important finding from an initial analysis was the presence of unusual multidomain proteins, including five proteins containing both RhoGEF (Rho GTPase guanine nucleotide exchange factor) and Arf-GAP (ADP ribosylation factor GTPase activating protein) domains, suggesting a mechanism for direct communication between the regulators of vesicle budding and cytoskeletal rearrangement. Over 80 receptor kinases were identified (see Section 7.2.2), each containing a kinase domain and a C rich extracellular domain. These kinases fall into distinct classes, depending on the presence of CXC or CXXC repeats. There are also domains that are common in most other sequenced genomes but rare or missing from E. histolytica. For example, most mitochondrial carrier domain proteins are not needed in E. histolytica as it lacks a normal mitochondrion (Section 8).

TABLE 2.3 Number and ranking of Pfam domains across different genomes EH Domain name

Domain detail

WD40

WD domain, 249 1 G-b repeat Leucine-rich repeat 131 2 Protein kinase domain 95 3 HEAT repeat 70 4 EF hand 58 5 RNA recognition motif 57 6 Ras family 46 7 Tetratricopeptide 42 8 repeat Ankyrin repeat 34 9 Pumilio-family RNA 33 10 binding repeat RhoGAP domain 27 11 Myb-like DNA-binding 22 12 domain RhoGEF domain 22 12

LRR_1 Pkinase HEAT efhand RRM_1 Ras TPR_1 Ank PUF RhoGAP Myb_DNAbinding RhoGEF

Rank #

CE Rank #

139

287

2 414

1 1137

40 27 13 7 30 9 23

2 5 15 28 3 22 7

55 78 44 80 95 13 48

12 43 8 116 17 114 7 29 6 86 44 25 15 103

17 3793 2 839 3 220 25 422 6 375 28 78 4 334

2 4 17 8 10 68 12

6 8

34 23

55 15

12 34

61 51

9 13

431 142

2 15

118 12

1 10

520 62

11 21

80 34

9 424

230

1215

366

Rank #

3 694

Rank

719

494 405 162 213 223 66 180

5 8 26 20 19 76 22

372 225 108 153 134 126 168

4 7 12 9 10 11 8

6 629 32 75

2 68

446 34

3 62

559 7

31 30

138 141

45 55

39 26

0 2581

130

(continued)

TABLE 2.3

(continued) EH

Domain name

Helicase_C

Domain detail

Helicase conserved C-terminal domain DEAD DEAD/DEAH box helicase PH PH domain Metallophos Calcineurin-like phosphoesterase Gelsolin Gelsolin repeat LIM LIM domain CH Calponin homology (CH) domain Filamin Filamin/ABP280 repeat

Rank #

CE Rank #

Rank #

Rank

20 14

150

20 14

103

19 16 19 16

1 6

230 34

5 16

123 32

25 21

28 34

22 66

255 83

77 78

63 62

94 31

16 67

18 18 17 19 16 20

2 0 4

118 703 54

2 295 0 1,215 1 520

4 8 7

255 116 137

33 16 26

169 12 341 103 211 57

323 47 87

29 56 49

68 25 33

16 20

703

0 1842

203

520

2 1450

Note: Columns labeled ‘#’ give the total number of occurrences of a particular domain. Columns labeled ‘Rank’ give the ranking of the domain where the most common domain is ranked 1. The organisms shown are E. histolytica (EH), Encephalitozoon cuniculi (EC), Plasmodium falciparum (PF), Arabidopsis thaliana (AT), Saccharomyces cerevisae (SC), Dictyostelium discoideum (DD).

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

2.12. Translation-related proteins Two of the predicted tRNAs (IleTAT and Tyr) need to be spliced because of the presence of an intron. tRNA introns are distinct in structure from those in protein-coding genes and require a distinct splicing machinery. The expected enzymes required for this splicing are present as are a number of tRNA modification enzymes (including those for synthesising queuine and pseudouridine) and rRNA methylases that act on specific bases in their respective RNA molecules. The expected panel of tRNA synthetases necessary for aminoacylating the tRNAs is also present, with one or two gene copies for each type. The majority of ribosomal protein genes are well conserved in E. histolytica and only the gene for large subunit protein L41 could not be identified. The missing protein is only 25 amino acids in length, 17 of which are arginines or lysines, which would make it difficult to identify in this A Ăž T-rich genome, but it is highly conserved, having been reported from Archaea to mammals. However, it also appears to be dispensable, as S. cerevisiae can grow relatively normally after deletion of both its copies (Yu and Warner, 2001). Nevertheless, deletion of L41 in S. cerevisiae reduces the level of 80S ribosomes, suggesting that it is involved in ribosomal subunit association, reduces peptidyl transferase activity and increases translocation (Dresios et al., 2003). In addition, L41 has been shown to interact with the b subunit of protein kinase CKII and to stimulate phosphorylation of DNA topoisomerase II a by CKII (Lee et al., 1997b). If this gene is truly absent from E. histolytica, then it may have important consequences for the cell. No genes for mitochondrial ribosomal proteins were found. Their absence is not surprising since E. histolytica lacks typical mitochondria (see Section 8). In eukaryotic translation, elongation factor (EF)-1 is activated upon GTP binding and forms a ternary complex with aminoacyl tRNAs and ribosomes. EF-1 b and d subunits work as GDP-GTP exchange factors to cycle EF-1 a between two forms while EF-1 g provides structural support for the formation of this multimeric complex. EF2 assists in the translocation of tRNAs on the mRNA by exactly one codon. E. histolytica has most of the expected factors except for EF-1 d, a protein involved in exchanging GDP with GTP. This is also absent from S. cerevisiae and P. falciparum. It is likely that EF-1 b carries out this activity. It is thought that the EF-1 complex can exist in two forms, EF-1-a/b/g and EF-1-a/d/g. In E. histolytica, probably only the former complex exists. Eukaryotes typically have two polypeptide release factors, eRF1 and eRF3. Both of these factors have been found in E. histolytica.

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2.13. Analysis of cell cycle genes Alternation of DNA duplication and chromosome segregation is a hallmark in the cell cycle of most eukaryotes. Carefully orchestrated processes coordinate an ensemble of cell cycle regulating ‘checkpoint’ proteins that ensure progeny cells receive an exact copy of the parental genetic material (Hartwell and Weinert, 1989). Unlike most eukaryotes, E. histolytica cells can reduplicate their genome several times before cell division occurs (Gangopadhyay et al., 1997). Approximately 5–20% of the trophozoites (depending on the growth phase) in axenic cultures are multi-nucleated. Additionally, DNA reduplication may occur without nuclear division so that single nuclei contain 1X-6X or more genome contents (Das and Lohia, 2002). Thus axenically cultured E. histolytica trophozoites display heterogeneity in their genome content, suggesting that eukaryotic cell cycle checkpoints are either absent or altered in this organism. Around 200 genes have been identified in yeasts that play a direct role in cell cycle progression.

2.13.1. DNA replication initiation and DNA duplication The DNA replication licensing system is one of the crucial mechanisms that ensures the alternation of S-phase with mitosis in most cells (Tye, 1999). Initiation of DNA replication involves binding of the replicative helicases to DNA replication origins in late mitosis. Loading of the replicative helicase Mcm2–7 proteins is preceded by formation of the pre-replicative complex (pre-RC) and its subsequent activation. Formation of pre-RC requires the ordered assembly of the origin recognition complex (ORC), cell division cycle 6 (Cdc6), Cdt1 and the Mcm2–7 proteins. The pre-RC is activated by the protein kinase Cdc7p and its regulatory subunit Dbf4 (Masai and Arai, 2002). Other factors that regulate the transition from pre-RC to replication initiation are Mcm10p, Cdc45p, TopBP1, RecQL4 and the GINS complex (Gregan et al., 2003; Machida et al., 2005; Merchant et al., 1997; Wohlschlegel et al., 2002). Two other Mcm (minichromosome maintenance) proteins—Mcm8 and Mcm9— have been identified in metazoan systems and are believed to be part of the replicative helicase (Maiorano et al., 2006). Replication origin licensing is inactivated during S-phase but Mcm2–9p may function as a helicase that unwinds DNA ahead of the replication fork during S-phase (Maiorano et al., 2006). Once S-phase has begun, the formation of new pre-RC is kept in check by high cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity and by the activity of the protein geminin (Bell and Dutta, 2002). A detailed analysis of the E. histolytica genome shows that homologues of several proteins required for DNA replication initiation are absent. These include ORC 2–6, Cdt1, geminin, Cdc7/Dbf4 and Mcm10. A single gene encoding a homologue of the archaeal and human Cdc6/Orc1p

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

(Capaldi and Berger, 2004) was identified. This suggests that DNA replication initiation in E. histolytica is likely similar to archaeal replication initiation where a single Cdc6p/ORC1p replaces the hetero-hexameric ORC complex (Kelman and Kelman, 2004). Several proteins described from metazoa, such as Cdt1, geminin, Mcm8 and Mcm9, have not been found in yeasts. Surprisingly, Mcm8 and Mcm9 were identified in the E. histolytica genome. Of the four known checkpoint genes that regulate DNA replication in S. cerevisiae only Mec1 and Mrc1 have homologues in E. histolytica. E. histolytica homologues of several proteins involved in G1-S transitions are absent, such as Sic1 and Chk1. The S-phase checkpoint genes p21, p27, p53 and retinoblastoma (RB) required for transition from G1 to S-phase in humans were absent in E. histolytica. Chk1 and Chk2 genes encode kinases that act downstream from the ATM and ATR kinases (intra-S-phase checkpoint genes). The Chk1 homologue is absent, but a Chk2 homologue has been identified in E. histolytica and partially characterised (Iwashita et al., 2005).

2.13.2. Chromosome segregation and cell division A large number of genes are known to regulate different events during the transition from G2-Mitosisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;spindle formation checkpoint, chromosome segregation, mitosis, exit from mitosis and cytokinesisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in S.cerevisiae. Many of the proteins required by yeast for kinetochore formation have no obvious homologues in E. histolytica, suggesting that amoeba kinetochores may have an altered composition and structure. Proteins of the anaphase promoting complex (APC) regulate transition from metaphase to anaphase. With the exception of APC11, none of the APC proteins could be identified in E. histolytica. In contrast two genes encoding CDC20 homologues, which are known to activate the APC complex, were identified in E. histolytica along with ubiquitin and related proteins (Wostmann et al., 1992), indicating that although most APC subunit homologues were absent the pathway of proteasomal degradation for regulation of cell cycle proteins may still be functional in E. histolytica. Effectors of the apoptotic pathway and meiosis were also largely absent.

2.13.3. CDKs and cyclins

The CDC28 gene encodes the single CDK in S. cerevisiae and regulates cell cycle progression by binding to different cyclins at the G1/S or G2/M boundaries (Reed, 1992; Surana et al., 1991; Wittenberg et al., 1990). Similarly, Schizosaccharomyces pombe also encodes a single CDK (cdc2) (Simanis and Nurse, 1986). Mammals and plants can encode multiple CDKs and an equally large number of cyclins (Morgan, 1995; Vandepoele et al., 2002). Association of different CDKs with specific cyclins regulates the cell cycle

C. G. Clark et al.

in different developmental stages as well as in specific tissues. CDKs belong to the serine/threonine family of kinases with a conserved PSTAIRE domain where cyclins are believed to bind (Jeffrey et al., 1995; Morgan, 1996), although some mammalian and plant CDKs have been shown to have divergent PSTAIRE motifs. This heterogeneity may or may not affect cyclin binding (Poon et al., 1997). The E. histolytica genome encodes at least nine different CDKs among which not even one has the conserved PSTAIRE motif. The closest homologue of the CDC28/cdc2 gene, which shows only conservative substitutions in the PSTAIRE motif (PVSTVRE), was cloned previously (Lohia and Samuelson, 1993). The remaining eight CDK homologues exhibit even greater divergence in this motif. Eleven putative cyclin homologues with a high degree of divergence have been found. Identifying their CDK/cyclin partner along with their roles in the cell cycle is a major task that lies ahead. Some of the CDKs may not function by associating with their functional cyclin partners but may play a role in regulating global gene expression, either by activation from non-cyclin proteins or by other mechanisms (Nebreda, 2006). E. histolytica presents a novel situation where the eukaryotic paradigm of a strictly alternating S-phase and mitosis is absent. Discrete G1, S and G2 populations of cells are not routinely found in axenic cultures. Instead cells in S-phase show greater than 2 genome contents, suggesting that the G2 phase is extremely short and irregular. This observation together with the absence of a large number of checkpoint genes suggests that regulation of genome partitioning and cell division in E. histolytica may be additionally dependant on extracellular signals. E. histolytica must, however, contain regulatory mechanisms to ensure that its genome is maintained and transmitted with precision even in the absence of the expected checkpoint controls. The discovery of these mechanisms will be crucial to our understanding of how the E. histolytica cell divides.

2.14. Transcription RNA polymerase II transcription in E. histolytica is known to be a-amanitinresistant (Lioutas and Tannich, 1995). The F homology block of the RNA polymerase II largest subunit (RPB1) has been identified as the putative a-amanitin binding site. This block is highly divergent in the a-amanitin resistant T. vaginalis RNA polymerase II (Quon et al., 1996). The E. histolytica RPB1 homologue also diverges from the consensus in this region but, interestingly, it is also quite dissimilar to the T. vaginalis sequence. The heptapeptide repeat (TSPTSPS) common to other eukaryotic RNA polymerase II large subunit C-terminal domains (CTD) is not present in the E. histolytica protein. Indeed, the E. histolytica CTD is not similar to any

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

other RNA polymerase II domain in the current database. However, the CTD of the E. histolytica enzyme does remain proline/serine-rich (these amino acids constitute 40% of the CTD sequence). The E. histolytica CTD also retains the potential to be highly phosphorylated: of the 24 serines, 6 threonines and 3 tyrosines within the CTD, 9 serines, 3 threonines and 1 tyrosine are predicted to be within potential phosphorylation sites. It is therefore possible that, despite its divergence, modification of the CTD by kinases and phosphatases could modulate proteinâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;protein interactions as is postulated to occur in other RNA polymerases (Yeo et al., 2003). In yeasts, phosphorylation of the CTD regulates association with the mediator protein (Davis et al., 2002; Kang et al., 2001; Kornberg, 2001). The yeast mediator protein complex consists of 20 subunits. However, perhaps due to the divergence of the CTD, only two of these proteins have been identified in E. histolytica (Med7 and Med10). Homologues of the Spt4 and Spt5 elongation factors, also thought to interact with the CTD, have been identified. The RNA polymerase core is composed of 12 putative subunits in S. cerevisiae (Young, 1991), while S. pombe contains a subset of 10 of these proteins, lacking the equivalents of subunits 4 and 9 (Yasui et al., 1998). In E. histolytica only 10 of the RNA polymerase subunits have been identified, identifiable homologues of subunits 4 and 12 being absent. While the homologue of subunit nine was present, it lacks the first of the two characteristic zinc binding motifs of this protein and the DPTLPR motif in the C-terminal region. A similar sequence, DPTYPK, is however present and a homologue of the transcription factor TFIIE large subunit Tfa1, which is proposed to interact with this region of the protein, has been identified (Hemming and Edwards, 2000; Van Mullem et al., 2002). The conserved N-terminal portion (residues 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;52) of Rpb9 is thought to interact with both Rpb1 and Rpb2 in S. cerevisiae (Hemming and Edwards, 2000), and homologues of these have been identified. The core promoter of E. histolytica has an unusual tripartite structure consisting of the three conserved elements TATA, GAAC and INR (Purdy et al., 1996; Singh and Rogers, 1998; Singh et al., 1997, 2002). Singh and Rogers (1998) have speculated that the GAAC motif may be the binding site of a second or alternative E. histolytica DNA binding protein in the preinitiation complex. It is therefore of interest that, in addition to the E. histolytica TATA-binding protein (TBP), two other proteins contain the TATA-binding motif (Hernandez et al., 1997). TBP is a subunit of the TFIID general transcription factor (GTF), which in other organisms is required for the recognition of the core promoter. In the light of the variation in the core promoter previously mentioned, and the divergence in proteins that bind to the core promoter in other parasitic protists, it is

C. G. Clark et al.

not surprising that only 6 of the 14 evolutionary conserved subunits of TFIID, TBP associated factors (TAFs) 1, 5, 6, 10, 12 and 13 were identified. Homologues of some of the global regulatory subunits of the Ccr4/Not complex, which interacts with TBP and TAFs 1 and 13, have also been identified. (A detailed analysis of E. histolytica transcription factors can be found at http://www.transcriptionfactor.org). TAFs 5, 6, 10 and 12 are also components of the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complexes in other organisms as are SPT6 and SPT16 (Carrozza et al., 2003). While all known components of the HAT complexes have by no means been identified or the role of the previously unknown bromodomain containing proteins encoded in the E. histolytica genome understood, histone acetylation complexes are known to be active in E. histolytica (Ramakrishnan et al., 2004). Other potential members of chromatin remodelling complexes of E. histolytica include the TBP interacting helicase (RVB1 and 2) and the SNF2 subunit of the SWI/SNF complex. Homologues of some of the other GTFs (TFII E, F and H) but not the large or small subunits were identified. In contrast to the difficulty identifying some of the GTFs, the E. histolytica spliceosome components U1, U2, U4/6, U5 and the Prp19 complex have all been identified. In fact homologues of 10 of the 14 ‘core’ small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs), 2 of the U1-specific snRNPs, 7 of the 10 U2-specific snRNPs, 5 of the 6 U5-specific snRNPs, 3 of the U4/6 specific snRNPs and 4 of the 9 subunits of the Prp19 complex have been found. Indeed E. histolytica has homologues of 80% of the S. cerevisiae splicing machinery (Jurica and Moore, 2003). Like Giardia intestinalis, E. histolytica has short 50 untranslated regions on its mRNAs. However, unlike those of G. intestinalis, E. histolytica mRNA has been shown to be capped (Ramos et al., 1997; Vanacova et al., 2003). Identification of homologues of the Ceg1 RNA guanylyltransferase—an enzyme that adds an unmethylated GpppRNA cap to new transcripts— and of Abd1—which methylates the cap to form m7GpppRNA—gives new insight into the probable cap structure in E. histolytica (Hausmann et al., 2001; Pillutla et al., 1998). It has been proposed that the capping enzymes interact with the phosphorylated CTD of RNA polymerase (Schroeder et al., 2000). The CTD of E. histolytica large subunit is, as discussed earlier, not well conserved but contains several probable phosphorylation sites. mRNAs in E. histolytica are polyadenylated, and the polyadenylation signal is found within the short 30 untranslated region (Bruchhaus et al., 1993; Li et al., 2001). However, only 8 of the 18 yeast cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) subunits are identifiable in E. histolytica.

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

3. VIRULENCE FACTORS 3.1. Gal/GalNAc lectin One of the hallmarks of E. histolytica pathogenicity is contact-dependent killing of host cells. E. histolytica is capable of killing a variety of cell types, including human intestinal epithelium, erythrocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes (Burchard and Bilke, 1992; Burchard et al., 1992a,b; Guerrant et al., 1981; Ravdin and Guerrant, 1981). Cytolysis occurs as a stepwise process that begins with adherence to target cells via galactose/ N-acetyl D-galactosamine-inhibitable (Gal/GalNAc) lectin (Petri et al., 1987; Ravdin and Guerrant, 1982). Adherence via the Gal/GalNAc lectin is a requirement for cell killing because in the presence of galactose or GalNAc target cells are not killed by the amoebae. Target cell death occurs within 5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;15 min and is often followed by phagocytosis. Inhibition of the Gal/GalNAc lectin with galactose or specific antibody also blocks phagocytosis (Bailey et al., 1990). Resistance to lysis by the complement system is also mediated in part by the Gal/GalNAc lectin. The lectin contains a CD59-like domain that likely helps protect the trophozoites from complement; CD59 is a surface antigen of many blood cells known to have this property (Braga et al., 1992). The Gal/GalNAc lectin is a membrane complex that includes heavy (Hgl) 170 kilodalton (kDa), and light (Lgl) 30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;35 kDa subunits linked by disulphide bonds, and a non-covalently associated intermediate (Igl) 150 kDa subunit (Cheng et al., 2001; Petri et al., 1989). The structure and function of the Gal/GalNAc lectin has recently been reviewed (Petri et al., 2002). The heavy subunit is a type1 transmembrane protein while the light and intermediate subunits have glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors (Cheng et al., 2001; McCoy et al., 1993). Gal/GalNAc lectin subunits do not share any significant protein identity or similarity to any other known proteins, though Hgl and Igl have some very limited regions of similarity with known classes of proteins that will be discussed below.

3.1.1. The heavy (Hgl) subunit On the basis of pulse-field gel electrophoresis there are five loci in the genome with similarity to the Hgl subunit. However, the current genome assembly only identifies two complete genes, one of which corresponds to Hgl2 (Tannich et al., 1991b). The predicted proteins encoded by these loci are 92% identical. In initial assemblies there were three other sequences with high similarity to the Hgl subunit that were pseudogenes. These pseudogenes may account for the additional loci detected by pulse-field gel electrophoresis. The large size of these genes means that assembly problems may also be affecting our interpretation.

C. G. Clark et al.

Hgl subunit sequences can be divided into domains based on amino acid content and distribution (Fig. 2.3). The amino-terminal domain of 200 amino acids consists of 3.2% cysteine and 2.1% tryptophan residues. The next domain, also 200 amino acids, is completely devoid of these 2 amino acids. The C-terminal domain of 930 amino acids is cysteine-rich, comprising 10.8% cysteine. The number and spacing of all predicted tryptophan and cysteine residues are 100% conserved in the 2 complete genes. Although a portion of the C-terminal domain can be said to contain cysteine-rich pseudo-repeats, there is no clear repetitive structure to the protein (Tannich et al., 1991b). The Hgl subunit has a single transmembrane domain and a highly conserved 41 amino acid cytoplasmic domain. In addition to these two hgl genes, the genome contains a newly identified divergent member of the Hgl gene family (XP_650534). This ORF shares 43% similarity with the 2 other Hgl isoforms, and is predicted to encode a protein with an almost identical domain structure to that of Hgl described earlier.

3.1.2. The light (Lgl) subunit The Lgl subunit is encoded by 5 genes (lgl1–5) that share 74–85% amino acid identity. A sequence corresponding to Lgl2 is missing from the current genome assembly. The light subunits range from 270 to 294 amino acids in length. Each isoform has a 12 amino acid signal peptide, 5 conserved cysteine residues and a GPI-anchor addition site. Lgl1 has two potential glycosylation sites. Lgl2 has one of these sites, Lgl3 has one different site, and Lgl4 and Lgl5 have none.

3.1.3. The intermediate (Igl) subunit The Igl subunit was first identified by a monoclonal antibody that blocked amoebic adherence to and cytotoxicity for mammalian cells (Cheng et al., 1998). Co-purification of the Hgl, Lgl and Igl suggests that these three CD59 (779−870) cMet (918−955) CRD (911−1016) NH2- CW

C-Rich

-COOH

FIGURE 2.3 Domain diagram of the Hgl subunit of the Gal/GalNAc lectin. CW-Cysteine-Tryptophan region; CF-Cysteine free region; C-Rich- Cysteine rich region. The black vertical box near the carboxy terminus of the protein represents the single transmembrane domain. The horizontal black bars above the diagram indicate the location of a carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD), the region with similarity to the hepatic growth factor receptor, c-Met, and the region that has similarity to the CD59, the membrane inhibitor of the complement membrane attack complex. The numbers in parentheses indicate the location of these regions in the Hgl1 isoform (Mann et al., 1991), where the methionine of the immature protein is residue 1.

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

subunits form a complex (Cheng et al., 1998, 2001). The Igl subunit also has galactose-binding activity (Cheng et al., 1998) and can serve as protective antigen in vaccine trials (Cheng and Tachibana, 2001). There are two loci that encode Igl subunits (Cheng et al., 2001) and the predicted amino acid sequences are 81% identical. The Igl subunit, like the Hgl subunit, does not have any recognisable carbohydrate-binding domain.

3.1.4. Conservation of Gal/GalNAc lectin subunits in other species of Entamoeba There are clearly identifiable orthologues of the Hgl and Lgl subunits among the limited sequences of E. dispar, E. invadens, E. moshkovskii and E. terrapinae available at present (Dodson et al., 1997; Pillai et al., 1997; Wang et al., 2003). Because these genomes are incomplete it is possible that as yet unidentified family members will show greater similarity to the E. histolytica sequences. Nevertheless, the Lgl subunit is quite conserved among the five Entamoeba species. For instance, the E. terrapinae gene is 56% identical and 62% similar to E. histolytica Lgl1 over a span of 201 amino acids. The Hgl subunits are more diverse. The E. dispar Hgl orthologue is highly similar to the E. histolytica subunit (86%) but the other species show more diversity, including the region that corresponds to the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). However, the number and positions of the cysteine residues are highly conserved, as is the sequence of the cytoplasmic domain, showing only a few changes. It is difficult to put precise numbers to these similarities because the complete sequences of Hgl subunits from the other species are not present in the database. The character of the conservation of the Hgl subunits suggests that the ligand specificity is different for the Hgl subunits of each species but the signalling functions of the cytoplasmic domains are similar, if not perhaps identical. Only E. dispar has an identifiable Igl subunit. The other three species clearly have paralogues of the CXXC repeat family to which Igl belongs, but their similarity to Igl is mostly restricted to the CXXC and CXC repeat motifs.

3.2. Cysteine endopeptidases E. histolytica is characterised by its extraordinary capacity to invade and destroy human tissues. The main lytic activity has been attributed to cysteine endopeptidases. This class of enzymes, which is found in all organisms, plays a major role in the pathogenicity of E. histolytica as demonstrated in a large number of in vitro and in vivo studies (Ankri et al., 1999; Gadasi and Kessler, 1983; Keene et al., 1990; Li et al., 1995; Luaces and Barrett, 1988; Lushbaugh et al., 1985; Reed et al., 1989; Schulte and Scholze, 1989; Stanley et al., 1995). Most striking are results from laboratory animal infections showing that E. histolytica trophozoites

C. G. Clark et al.

with reduced cysteine protease activity are greatly impaired in their ability to induce amoebic disease (Ankri et al., 1999; Stanley et al., 1995). In addition, the discovery that E. histolytica cysteine proteases possess interleukin-1b convertase activity suggests that these enzymes use a mechanism that is novel in microbial pathogenicity (Zhang et al., 2000). Thiol-dependent proteolytic activity in E. histolytica was first attributed to a neutral sulphydryl protease (McLaughlin and Faubert, 1977) and later to a cytotoxic protease (Lushbaugh et al., 1984). Other terms that have been used to describe closely related or identical enzymes are cathepsin B (Lushbaugh et al., 1985), neutral proteinase (Keene et al., 1990), histolysin (Luaces and Barrett, 1988) (later changed to histolysain; Luaces et al., 1992) and amoebapain (Scholze et al., 1992). E. histolytica cysteine endopeptidases were found to be secreted (Leippe et al., 1995) and localised in lysosome-like vesicles or at the surface of the cell (Garcia-Rivera et al., 1999; Jacobs et al., 1998). Molecular cloning has revealed a large number of cysteine endopeptidase genes in the E. histolytica genome (Bruchhaus et al., 2003; Garcia-Rivera et al., 1999; Reed et al., 1993; Tannich et al., 1991c., 1992). Interestingly, most of these genes are not expressed during in vitro cultivation (Bruchhaus et al., 2003). As our current knowledge of E. histolytica biology and pathogenicity is mostly based on analysis of cultured cells, the function of most of the cysteine endopeptidases and their precise role in E. histolytica virulence is largely unknown. Homology searches using conserved active site regions revealed that the E. histolytica genome contains at least 44 genes coding for cysteine endopeptidases. Of these, the largest group is structurally related to the C1 papain superfamily (Table 2.4), whereas a few others are more similar to family C2 (calpain-like cysteine proteases), C19 (ubiquitinyl hydrolase), C54 (autophagin) and C65 (otubain), respectively (Table 2.5). Phylogenetic analyses of the 36 C1-family members revealed that they represent three distinct clades (A, B and C), consisting of 12, 11 and 13 members, respectively. Clades A and B members correspond to the two previously described subfamilies of E. histolytica cysteine proteases, designated EhCP-A and EhCP-B (Bruchhaus et al., 2003). In contrast, clade C represents a new group of E. histolytica cysteine endopeptidases that has not been described before. EhCP-A and EhCP-B-subfamily members are classical pre-pro enzymes with an overall cathepsin L-like structure (Barrett, 1998) as indicated by the presence of an ERFNIN motif in the pro region of at least 21 of the 23 EhCP-A and EhCP-B enzymes (Fig. 2.4). Interestingly, biochemical studies with purified EhCP-A indicated a cathepsin B-like substrate specificity (Scholze and Schulte, 1988). This is likely due to the substitution of an alanine residue by acidic or charged amino acids in the postulated S2 pocket, corresponding to residue 205 of the papain sequence (Barrett, 1998). As reported previously (Bruchhaus et al., 2003), the EhCP-A and EhCP-B subfamilies differ in the length of the pro regions

TABLE 2.4

Family C1-like cysteine endopeptidases of E. histolytica

Protein name

Previous designation

Accession No.

Protein length (aa) Total (pre, pro, mature)

Active site residues

EhCP-A1 EhCP-A2 EhCP-A3 EhCP-A4 EhCP-A5

EhCP1 EhCP2 EhCP3 EhCP4 EhCP5

XP_650156 XP_650642 XP_653254 XP_656602 XP_650937

315 (13,80,222) 315 (13,80,222) 308 (13,79,216) 311 (20,73,218) 318 (20,72,225)

QCHN QCHN QCHN QCHN QCHN

EhCP-A6 EhCP-A7 EhCP-A8 EhCP-A9 EhCP-A10 EhCP-A11 EhCP-A12

EhCP6 EhCP8 EhCP9 EhCP10 EhCP17 EhCP19 New

XP_657364 XP_648996 XP_657446 XP_655675 XP_651147 XP_651690 XP_653823

320 (17,79,224) 315 (13,80,222) 317 (15,82,220) 297 (17,90,190) 420 (18,148,254) 324 (17,79,228) 317 (14,83,220)

QCHN QCHN QCHN QCHN QCHN QC INa (d)

Conserved motifs

ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR, RGD ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR ERFNIN, DWR

Remarks

Degenerate in E. dispar

(continued)

TABLE 2.4 (continued)

Protein name

Previous designation

Accession No.

Protein length (aa) Total (pre, pro, mature)

Active site residues

Conserved motifs

Remarks

EhCP-B1

EhCP7

XP_651581

426 (15,106,305)

QCHN

ERFNIN, PCNC

EhCP-B2 EhCP-B3 EhCP-B4

EhCP11 EhCP12 EhCP13

AAO03568 XP_656747 XP_648501

431 (15,106,310) 474 (16,107,351) 379 (16,105,258)

QCHSa QCHN QCHN

ERFNIN, PCNC ERFNIN, PCNC ERFNIN, PCNC

EhCP-B5 EhCP-B6

EhCP14 EhCP15

XP_652671 XP_652465

434 (12,108,314) 300 (14,55,231)

QCHN QCHN

ERFNIN, PCNC PCNC

EhCP-B7

EhCP16

XP_650400

650 (18,144,488)

QCHN

ERFNIN, PCNC

EhCP-B8

EhCP18

XP_651049

473 (15,105,353)

QCHN

EhCP-B9

EhCP112

XP_652993

446 (19,112,315)

QCHN

ERFNIN, PCNC, RGD ERFNIN, PCNC, RGD

Hydrophobic C-terminus GPI cleavage site TMH:444â&#x20AC;&#x201C;466 aa TMH or GPI cleavage site GPI cleavage site Hydrophobic C-terminus Hydrophobic C-terminus, Cys-rich profile GPI cleavage site

EhCP-B10

New

XP_648306

372 (b)

QCHN

EhCP-B11

New

XP_648013

133 (b)

Q???

ERFNIN, PCNC, RGD PCNC

Hydrophobic C-terminus, Cys-rich profile Hydrophobic C-terminus

EhCP-C1 EhCP-C2 EhCP-C3 EhCP-C4 EhCP-C5 EhCP-C6 EhCP-C7 EhCP-C8 EhCP-C9 EhCP-C10 EhCP-C11 EhCP-C12

New New New New New New New New New New New New

XP_654453 XP_656632 XP_655128 XP_655800 XP_654800 XP_651553 XP_657273 XP_655479 XP_655011 XP_654829 XP_648083 XP_650829

586 (c) 567 (c) 572 (c) 502 (c) 557 (c) 557 (c) 595 (c) 627 (c) 518 (c) 530 (c) 526 (c) 473 (c)

QCINa QCHN QCHN QCHN QCHN QCHDa QCHN QCHN (d) QCHN (d) (d)

HS(X)6ICP HS(X)6ICP HS(X)6LCP LT(X)6LCP IS(X)6ICP HS(X)6LCA IS(X)6LCP IS(X)6ICP HS(X)6ICP IS(X)6ICP HS(X)6ICP MS(X)6LCG

EhCP-C13

New

XP_656556

564 (c)

QCHN

VS(X)6RCG

TMH:12–34 TMH:27–49 TMH:17–39 TMH:20–42 TMH:14–36 TMH:19–41 TMH:29–51 TMH:12–34 TMH:15–37 TMH:20–42 TMH:26–48 & 449–471 TMH:21–43

a: active sites that lack the canonical motif QCHN; b: incomplete sequence; c: cleavage sites to be determined; d: not conserved; ???: incomplete active site sequence.

C. G. Clark et al.

TABLE 2.5 Family C2-, C19-, C54- and C65-like cysteine endopeptidases of E. histolytica Protein length

Active site

Name

Homology

Family

ProteinID

EhCALP1

Calpain-like

XP_649922 591 aa

EhCALP2 EhUBHY

Calpain-like Ubiquitin Hydrolaselike Autophaginlike Autophaginlike Autophaginlike Autophaginlike Otubain-like

C2 C19

XP_657312 473 aa XP_657356 444 aa

Not conserved QCHN NDTN

C54

XP_651386 325 aa

YCHS

C54

XP_653798 364 aa

YCHD

C54

XP_652043 364 aa

YCHD

C54

XP_656724 348 aa

YCHD

C65

XP_654013 259 aa

DCH

EhAUTO1 EhAUTO2 EhAUTO3 EhAUTO4 EhOTU

EhCPA Catalytic-domain 190 to 254 aa C CC C C H QC

PrePro13 to 20 aa 72 to 90 aa

ERFNIN Pre12 to 19 aa

DWR EhCPB Catalytic-domain 230 to 353 aa

Pro105 to 144 aa

C CC QC ERFNIN

C N

C H

PCNC EhCPC

C C C C Cys-rich motif Hydrophobic domain

Catalytic-domain 500 to 600 aa CC C C C C

11 to 28 aa QC Transmembrane domain (23 aa)

N H/I(X)6L/ICP

FIGURE 2.4 Structural domains of the three different types of family C1-like cysteine endopeptidases EhCP-A, EhCP-B and EhCP-C. Shown are the location and length of domains specific for each the three types as well as the conserved active site and cysteine residue.

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

as well as of the catalytic domains, and have distinct sequence motifs in the N-terminal regions of the mature enzymes (DWR vs. PCNC). Moreover, none of the EhCP-A subfamily but 10 of the 11 EhCP-B sequences contain hydrophobic stretches near or at the C-terminus, some of which are predicted to constitute transmembrane helices (TMH) or GPI-attachment moieties. This finding is consistent with previous reports on surface localisation of E. histolytica cysteine proteases but, so far, studies on the cellular localisation of the various EhCP-B molecules have not been reported. In contrast to the EhCP-A and EhCP-B subfamilies, primary structure prediction indicates that EhCP-C members are not pre-pro enzymes, as they lack hydrophobic signal sequences as well as identifiable pro regions. Instead, they contain a hydrophobic region located 11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;28 amino acids from the N-terminus, which is predicted to form a TMH (Fig. 2.4). Therefore, this new group of molecules appears to be membrane associated via a signal anchor. All EhCP-C enzymes have a conserved motif of the sequence H/I(X)6L/ICP in the C-terminal half but they differ substantially in their pI, with values ranging from 4.6 to 8.8. As there is no example of a structurally related cysteine endopeptidase corresponding to the EhCP-C subfamily in other organisms, the specific functions of this group of molecules remain completely unknown. In addition to the large number of C1 superfamily members, the E. histolytica genome contains two genes encoding cysteine endopeptidases homologous to family C2 or calpain-like cysteine proteases (EhCALP1 and EhCALP2). Enzymes of this class contain several calcium-binding domains and have been shown to participate in a variety of cellular processes, including remodelling of the cytoskeleton and membranes, signal transduction pathways and apoptosis. Another four genes were identified coding for enzymes with homology to the peptidase family C54, also termed autophagins (EhAUTO1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4). The process of autophagy has been studied in human and yeast cells (Kirisako et al., 2000; Marino et al., 2003). Autophagy is a mechanism for the degradation of intracellular proteins and the removal of damaged organelles. During this process the cellular components become enclosed in double membranes and are subsequently degraded by lysosomal peptidases. Autophagins seem to be important for cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting. Two other genes encoding putative cysteine endopeptidases of E. histolytica show homology to the C19 and C65 families. These two groups of enzymes are known to be involved in ubiquitin degradation. Family C19 are ubiquitinyl hydrolases described as having ubiquitinspecific peptidase activity in humans. C65 or otubains are a group of enzymes with isopeptidase activity, which releases ubiquitin from polyubiquitin.

C. G. Clark et al.

In summary, the Entamoeba genome contains a considerable number of endopeptidase genes. Elucidation of the precise role of each of the various enzymes will be a major challenge but may help us to understand the mechanism(s) of virulence and other unique properties of this protistan parasite.

3.3. Amoebapores and related proteins In the lysosome-like granular vesicles of E. histolytica is found a family of small proteins, amoebapores, that are cytolytic towards human host cells, display potent antibacterial activity and cause ion channel formation in artificial membranes (for a review, see Leippe, 1997). Three amoebapore isoforms have been isolated and biochemically characterised, and their primary structure has been elucidated by molecular cloning of the genes encoding their precursors (Leippe et al., 1991, 1992, 1994b). These membrane-permeabilising polypeptides are discharged by E. histolytica into bacteria-containing phagosomes to combat growth of engulfed microorganisms (AndraÂ¨ et al., 2003). Because of their potent cytolytic activity against human cells in vitro (Berninghausen and Leippe, 1997; Leippe et al., 1994a), amoebapores have been viewed as a crucial element of the machinery use by the parasite to kill host cells. Trophozoites of E. histolytica lacking the major isoform amoebapore A, whether through antisense inhibition of translation (Bracha et al., 1999) or epigenetic silencing of the gene (Bracha et al., 2003), became avirulent demonstrating that this protein plays a key role in pathogenesis. Relatives of these protistan polypeptides are found in granules of porcine and human cytotoxic lymphocytes where they are termed NK-lysin and granulysin, respectively. All of these polypeptides are 70â&#x20AC;&#x201C;80 amino acids in length and are characterised by a compact a-helical, disulphide-bonded structure known as the saposin-like fold. The structures of the amoebic and mammalian polypeptides have been solved and compared (Anderson et al., 2003; Hecht et al., 2004; Leippe et al., 2005; Liepinsh et al., 1997). The biological activities have also been measured in parallel (Bruhn et al., 2003; Gutsmann et al., 2003) to evaluate the similarities and differences of these effector molecules from organisms whose evolutionary paths diverged very early. As they are active against both prokaryotic and eukaryotic target cells, they may be viewed as broad-spectrum effector molecules. In the genome of E. histolytica, 16 genes coding for putative saposinlike proteins (SAPLIPs) were identified. All of these genes are transcribed by cells growing in axenic culture (Winkelmann et al., 2006). Like amoebapores, the predicted proteins all contain one C-terminal SAPLIP domain and (with one exception) a putative signal peptide (Table 2.6).

TABLE 2.6 Attributes of the identified SAPLIPs of E. histolytica Size, aa

Name

Entire

Signal peptidea

SAPLIP domain Position Proform/ aa Maturec residues

Amoebapore A

21b

22–98

SAPLIP 1

16–92

Amoebapore B

19b

20–96

Amoebapore C

101

24b

25–101

SAPLIP 2

153

138

71–153

SAPLIP 3

18–94

SAPLIP 4

18–96

SAPLIP 5

1026

1008

Similarity Name, Acc. no.e

Identical to annotated protein

SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139

Amoebapore A precursor XP_653265 Saposin-like protein XP_655836 Amoebapore B precursor (EH-APP) Q24824 Amoebapore C XP_656029

SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139

946–1026 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139

Hypothetical protein XP_656037 Hypothetical protein XP_656682 Hypothetical proteins XP_652159 and XP_652303 Chromosome partition protein XP_655789

SAPLIP domain foundg

Similar to (aa sequence identity, %)f

Homologous proteins (aa sequence identity, %)

Amoebapore A AAA29111 (100%) Amoebapore A AAA29111 (64%) Amoebapore B CAA54226 (100%)

Disparpore A AAA18632 E. dispar (94%) Disparpore A AAA18632 E. dispar (68%) Disparpore B AAF04195 E. dispar (90%)

Amoebapore C CAA54225 (100%) —

Disparpore C AAF04196 E. dispar (88%) —

Amoebapore A AAA29111 (30%)

Invapore X AAP80381 E. invadens (67%) Disparpore C AAF04196 E.dispar (30%)

Amoebapore C CAA54225 (27%) —

—

(continued)

TABLE 2.6

(continued) Size, aa

Name

Entire

Signal peptidea

SAPLIP domain Position Proform/ aa Maturec residues 14–92

Similarity Name, Acc. no.e

Identical to annotated protein

SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139

Hypothetical protein XP_655820 Conserved hypothetical protein XP_656441 Hypothetical protein XP_656913 Hypothetical protein XP_650376 —

SAPLIP 6

SAPLIP 7

926

909

855–926

SAPLIP 8

980

965

902–980

SAPLIP 9

140

125

61–140

SAPLIP 10

657

641

577–657

SAPLIP 11

693

676

615–693d

—

SAPLIP 12

873

857

793–873

SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139

SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139

—

Hypothetical protein XP_652721

SAPLIP domain foundg

Genomic survey sequence AZ687176 Genomic survey sequence AZ692153

Similar to (aa sequence identity, %)f

Homologous proteins (aa sequence identity, %)

—

SAPLIP 13

1009

None 1009 predicted

931–1005 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139 834–915 SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139

Hypothetical protein XP_655089 —

SAPLIP 14

915

898

SAPLIP 15

804

787

728–800

SAPOSIN B, IPR 008139

—

SAPLIP 16

921

906

842–921d

—

Note: SAPLIPs were named according to the similarity of their SAPLIP domain to amoebapore A. a By the programme SignalP and manually corrected if predicted cleavage site is within the SAPLIP domain. b Verified by experimental data. c With the exception of amoebapores it is not possible to decide whether proteins are further processed. d Identified manually. e Extracted from InterPro databases. f If no similarity is reported, there is none outside the SAPLIP domain. g Sequences only found in GSS section of GenBank with given identifier.

Genomic survey sequence AZ690015 Genomic survey sequence BH132588 Genomic survey sequence AZ546519

—

C. G. Clark et al.

As a transmembrane domain is not apparent in these proteins, it may well be that they are secretory products stored in the cytoplasmic vesicles and act synergistically with the amoebapores. However, only 4 of them have a similar size to amoebapores, the others being considerably larger (up to 1009 residues). At present, it is not clear whether these larger gene products represent precursor molecules that are processed further. None of the novel SAPLIPs contain the conserved unique histidine residue at the C-terminus that is a key residue for the pore-forming activity of amoebapores (AndraÂ¨ and Leippe, 1994; Hecht et al., 2004; Leippe et al., 2005). Indeed, it has recently been shown that recombinant SAPLIP3 has no pore-forming or bactericidal activity, although it does cause membrane fusion in vitro (Winkelmann et al., 2006). This is in agreement with the experimental evidence for only three pore-forming entities being present in trophozoite extracts. Therefore, it is most likely that the three amoebapores are the sole pore-forming molecules of the parasite. However, the lipid-interacting activity present in all SAPLIP proteins (Munford et al., 1995) and a function that helps to kill bacterial prey may well characterise all members of the amoebapore/SAPLIP superfamily of this voraciously phagocytic cell.

3.4. Antioxidants E. histolytica trophozoites usually reside and multiply within the human gut, which constitutes an anaerobic or microaerophilic environment. However, during tissue invasion, the amoebae are exposed to an increased oxygen pressure and have to eliminate toxic metabolites such as reactive oxygen or nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) produced by activated phagocytes during the respiratory burst. E. histolytica lacks a conventional respiratory electron transport chain that terminates in the reduction of O2 to H2O. However, E. histolytica does respire and tolerates up to 5% oxygen in the gas phase (Band and Cirrito, 1979; Mehlotra, 1996; Weinbach and Diamond, 1974). Thus, E. histolytica trophozoites must use different antioxidant enzymes for the removal of ROS, RNS and oxygen (Fig. 2.5). Among the enzymes in the first line of oxidative defence are superoxide dismutases (SODs), which are metalloproteins that use copper/zinc (Cu/ZnSOD), manganese (MnSOD) or iron (FeSOD) as metal cofactors. SODs catalyse the dismutation of superoxide radical anions to form H2O2 and O2 (Fridovich, 1995). Analysis of the E. histolytica genome revealed only a single gene coding for a FeSOD and no sequences encoding MnSOD or Cu/ZnSOD. This reflects the situation found in most protistan parasites and is consistent with biochemical studies previously performed on E. histolytica lysates (Tannich et al., 1991a). E. histolytica lacks the tripeptide glutathione (Fahey et al., 1984), which constitutes the major low molecular weight thiol found in almost all

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

2Oâ&#x2C6;&#x2019;2.

Unknown

FeSOD Rbrred O2

NADPH

TrxR(p34)ox

H2O2

p34red

p34ox

NADP+

NADPH

Trxred

Rbrox 2H2O

Prx ox

NADP+

TrxR(p34)red

Trxox

Prxred 2H2O

N2O + H2O

NADPH

Farox

FprAred

NADP+

Farred

FprAox 2NO .

FIGURE 2.5 Predicted antioxidant system of E. histolytica. A. Superoxide radical anions are detoxified by an iron-containing superoxide dismutase (FeSOD). Molecular oxygen is reduced to hydrogen peroxide by a NADPH:flavin oxidoreductase (thioredoxin reductase, p34). Hydrogen peroxide is converted to water by rubrerythrin (Rbr). The nature of its redox partner is unknown. Hydrogen peroxide can also be converted to water via a classical thioredoxin redox system consisting of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR, p34), thioredoxin (Trx) and peroxiredoxin (Prx). B. Nitric oxide is reduced by an A-type flavoprotein (FprA) to nitrous oxide and water. For this reaction FprA receives electrons from NADH oxidase (Far).

aerobic cells (Sies, 1999). Instead, E. histolytica uses cysteine as its principal low molecular weight thiol (Ariyanayagam and Fairlamb, 1999; Fahey et al., 1984; Nozaki et al., 1999). As expected, coding sequences for enzymes that use glutathione as a cofactor, such as glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione-dependent peroxidase, glutathione reductase or glutaredoxin, are all absent from the E. histolytica genome. In addition, genes encoding catalases and peroxidases are also missing, as previously suggested (Sykes and Band, 1977; Weinbach and Diamond, 1974). Other genes were identified that code for proteins involved in detoxification of H2O2, including one with homology to rubrerythrin. Rubrerythrin is a non-haeme iron protein thought to be able to reduce H2O2 as part of an oxidative stress protection system (Weinberg et al., 2004). So far,

C. G. Clark et al.

the nature of its redox partner is unknown in E. histolytica, and it remains to be determined whether protection against oxidative stress is indeed its main function. Another group of H2O2-detoxifying proteins identified in E. histolytica are peroxiredoxins. Peroxiredoxins are known from a wide variety of organisms. They are able to reduce H2O2 as well as peroxynitrite with the use of electrons provided by thiols. In addition to involvement in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species, peroxiredoxins seem to play a role in other processes such as signalling and differentiation (Hofmann et al., 2002; Rhee et al., 2005; Wood et al., 2003a,b). All peroxiredoxins contain a conserved cysteine residue that undergoes a cycle of peroxide-dependent oxidation and thiol-dependent reduction during the reaction. The whole protein family can be divided into three classes based on the number and position of active site Cys residues (2-Cys, atypical 2-Cys and 1-Cys peroxiredoxins; Wood et al., 2003a,b). In E. histolytica five different genes coding for peroxiredoxins were identified (Prx1–5). They all belong to the 2-Cys peroxiredoxin family. Four of them (Prx1–4) share 98% sequence identity and have an unusual N-terminal Cys-rich repeat (KECCKKECQEKECQEKECCC) of unknown function. In contrast, the fifth peroxiredoxin (Prx5) lacks the cysteine-rich N-terminal extension and shares only 30% identity with Prx1–4. Biochemical studies have shown that E. histolytica peroxiredoxins are able to detoxify H2O2 and cumene hydroperoxide (Bruchhaus et al., 1997; Poole et al., 1997). Moreover, up-regulation of peroxiredoxin and FeSOD was associated with metronidazole resistance in cultured E. histolytica trophozoites (Samarawickrema et al., 1997; Wassmann et al., 1999). Reactions catalysed by peroxiredoxins are dependent on the presence of physiological thiols like thioredoxin (Rhee et al., 2005; Wood et al., 2003b). Thioredoxins are small proteins involved in thiol-redox processes (Holmgren, 2000). They contain two redox-active site cysteine residues of the motif CXXC (Watson et al., 2004). Five genes coding for classical cytoplasmic thioredoxins were identified in the E. histolytica genome (Trx1–5). These thioredoxins have a length of 103–114 amino acids and share 25–47% sequence identity. Trx1–3 have identical active site motifs of the sequence WCGPC, whereas the active sites of Trx4 and Trx5 have the sequences SCPSC and WCKDC, respectively. In addition, another five thioredoxin-related proteins were identified (Trx6–10). All have a signal sequence of 15–19 amino acid residues and the active site motif WCGHC, which is also known from the active site of protein disulphide isomerases. However, in contrast to the latter group of enzymes, the E. histolytica thioredoxin-related molecules contain only one rather than two activesite motifs and only two of the proteins have an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane retention signal (Freedman et al., 2002). Thus it remains to be determined whether the thioredoxin-related molecules of E. histolytica

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

do constitute protein disulphide isomerases or whether they undertake other functions within the cell. Thioredoxins are kept in the reduced state by the enzyme thioredoxin reductase, which catalyses the reduction of oxidised thioredoxin by NADPH using FAD and its redox-active disulphide (Nakamura, 2005). Two different genes with homology to thioredoxin reductases have been previously described from E. histolytica [thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and NADPH:flavin oxidoreductase (p34)]. They share about 87% sequence identity and both contain the 2 conserved sequence motifs forming the FAD and NAD(P)H binding domains. p34 was shown to catalyse the NADPH-dependent reduction of oxygen to H2O2 as well as of disulphides like DTNB and cystine (Bruchhaus et al., 1998; Lo and Reeves, 1980). Therefore, in addition to disulphide reductase activity the enzyme has H2O2-forming NADPH oxidase activity. It was also shown that p34 can transfer reducing equivalents to peroxiredoxin, converting the protein from its non-active, oxidised form back into its active, reduced form (Bruchhaus et al., 1997). However, it is unlikely that peroxiredoxin is directly reduced by p34 in vivo. It is more likely that E. histolytica contains a classical thioredoxin redox system consisting of thioredoxin reductase, thioredoxin and peroxiredoxin (Poole et al., 1997). In addition to genes coding for proteins with homology to thioredoxin reductase, four other gene families were identified that encode various flavoproteins. One of these families includes four members that have between 53 and 61% sequence identity to A-type flavoproteins (flavorubredoxin/flavodiiron). A-type flavoproteins belong to a large family of enzymes that are widespread among anaerobic and facultatively anaerobic prokaryotes. In addition to bacteria, homologous genes are also found in the genomes of the pathogenic amitochondriate protistan parasites T. vaginalis and G. intestinalis (Andersson et al., 2003; Sarti et al., 2004). The A-type flavoproteins are made up of two independent structural modules. The N-terminal region forms a metallo-b-lactamase-like domain, containing a non-haeme di-iron site, whereas the C-terminal region is a flavodoxinlike domain, containing one FMN moiety. These enzymes have significant nitric oxide reductase activity (Gomes et al., 2002; Sarti et al., 2004). For Escherichia coli it is known that the nitric oxide reductase (FIRd) receives electrons from a NADH:oxidoreductase (FIRd-red). Consistent with that situation, the E. histolytica genome contains a gene encoding an NADH oxidase with 25% sequence identity to several bacterial FIRd-reds. The three other E. histolytica gene families with homology to ironâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; sulphur flavoproteins (families Bâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;D) are characterised by the presence of a flavodoxin-like domain forming a typical FMN binding site. Family B and family C consist of 3 members each, which share sequence identity of 42 and 46%, respectively. Family D consists of 2 members, which share

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only 33% sequence identity. At present, the function of the various flavodoxin-like molecules remains to be determined and deserves to be investigated fully, particularly as to whether they do indeed have antioxidant capacity.

4. METABOLISM Biochemical analysis of E. histolytica metabolism has a long history (Reeves, 1984), dating back to shortly after the development of culture media that allowed the generation of substantial numbers of axenic cells. The genome sequence has confirmed most of the predicted metabolic pathways shown biochemically to be present or absent in E. histolytica in the past. As with most parasites, secondary loss of biosynthetic pathways is a recurring theme. However, a few surprises have also been uncovered. Every single enzyme involved in metabolism cannot realistically be discussed in this chapter. In this section, only the major energy generating and biosynthetic aspects of metabolism will be covered. Enzyme names, EC numbers and accession numbers are given in the the supplementary table for this section.

4.1. Energy metabolism 4.1.1. Glycolysis

E. histolytica lacks a functional tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. It is not able to convert organic substrates such as glucose into H2O and CO2, but has to rely on the energy generated by various types of substrate level phosphorylation (Reeves, 1984). Glycolysis is the major pathway of ATP generation, but in addition the genome project has identified a number of genes that could result in more ATP generation through the catabolism of amino acids. These enzymes will be described further below. As E. histolytica lacks compartmentalised energy generation, it has been classified as a type I amitochondriate protist (Martin and MuÂ¨ller, 1998) in contrast to the type II amitochondriate protists containing hydrogenosomes such as T. vaginalis. Nevertheless, it does contain a mitochondrial remnant, the mitosome (see Section 8). In E. histolytica, glycolysis appears to be localised in the cytosol. This is in contrast to trypanosomes in which a major part is carried out in the glycosomes (Parsons, 2004) and the pathway is regarded as a potential target for chemotherapy (Opperdoes and Michels, 2001). The kinetic properties of recombinant E. histolytica glycolysis enzymes have recently been studied by Saavedra et al. (2005). Their analysis suggested that fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, phosphoglycerate mutase,

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glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate phosphate dikinase might be regulating the glycolytic flux.

4.1.1.1. Hexokinases Glucose taken up by E. histolytica is phosphorylated by two hexokinase (EC 2.7.1.1) isoenzymes (Hxk1 and Hxk2). The two E. dispar isoenzymes are shifted towards a slightly more basic pI, which is the basis of the classical biochemical method for distinguishing E. histolytica from E. dispar by starch gel electrophoresis (Farri et al., 1980). The pI differences among the two E. histolytica isoforms (Ortner et al., 1995) and between the two species (Ortner et al., 1997b) are the result of genetic differences that lead to different amino acid sequences and charge differences. Hxk1 phosphorylates glucose and mannose, while Hxk2 phosphorylates mainly glucose and is much less active with mannose as a substrate (Kroschewski et al., 2000). 4.1.1.2. Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase Glucose 6-phosphate is converted to fructose 6-phosphate by glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (EC 5.3.1.9). The genome has two genes for this enzyme, which code for proteins that differ only by a single insertion or deletion of seven amino acid residues. Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase is another of the enzymes for the classical differentiation of Entamoeba zymodemes by starch gel electrophoresis (Sargeaunt, 1987). 4.1.1.3. Phosphofructokinases The main phosphofructokinase activity in E. histolytica is pyrophosphate (PPi)-dependent (EC 2.7.1.90; Reeves et al., 1976). There is a single gene (Deng et al., 1998) encoding this 60 kDa enzyme. The gene is a candidate for lateral transfer from bacteria (Loftus et al., 2005) (see Section 10). The enzyme is expressed at a 10-fold higher level and displays about 10-fold higher activity than a second phosphofructokinase of 48 kDa (XP_653373) (Chi et al., 2001). The substrate specificity of the smaller enzyme is disputed. Whereas Bruchhaus et al. (1996) reported that this minor enzyme also used PPi as phosphate donor, Chi et al. (2001) found only an ATP-dependent activity. The 48 and 60 kDa enzymes are highly divergent with <20% sequence identity. Interestingly, the specificity of the 60 kDa phosphofructokinase can be changed from PPi to ATP by mutation of a single amino acid residue (Chi and Kemp, 2000). The authors concluded that ATP rather than PPi was the primordial high energy compound. In the genome, there are 2 additional genes encoding isoforms of the 48 kDa enzyme, which have not been studied at the protein level. 4.1.1.4. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate is cleaved to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone 3-phosphate by fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (EC 4.1.2.13). The enzyme, a class II

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aldolase (Marsh and Lebherz, 1992), has been cloned (XP_650373) and exhibits strong sequence similarity to eubacterial aldolases (Sanchez et al., 2002). A second gene (XP_655966) encodes a protein differing from the first by a single deletion of 28 amino acids flanked by short divergent stretches. These bacterial-type aldolases are also found in T. vaginalis, G. intestinalis and other protists (Sanchez et al., 2002). E. histolytica has no gene coding for a class I aldolase like those found in animals, which might make aldolase an interesting target for chemotherapy.

4.1.1.5. Triose-phosphate isomerase Triose-phosphate isomerase (EC 5.3.1.1) converts dihydroxyacetone 3-phosphate into glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. The gene was previously cloned (Landa et al., 1997), and is highly similar to the annotated gene product. This dimer-forming enzyme represents the first E. histolytica protein for which the structure has been solved by X-ray crystallography (Rodriguez-Romero et al., 2002). 4.1.1.6. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase Glyceraldehyde-3phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.12) oxidises and phosphorylates glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate in two coupled reactions using NADĂž as cofactor (Reeves, 1984). The genome project revealed 5 putative genes, 3 of which encode the identical protein sequence of 36.0 kDa and a predicted pI of 7.04. The fourth gene product, XP_648981, differs from these 3 only by a 13 amino acid deletion, while XP_650370 is a clearly distinct 34.8 kDa isoform with a lower predicted pI of 5.80. Interestingly, the isoforms XP_650356 and XP_650370 of different pI are encoded within the same contig. 4.1.1.7. Phosphoglycerate kinase Phosphoglycerate kinase has an unusual substrate (Reeves and South, 1974), transferring the high energy phosphate group from 3-phosphoglyceroyl phosphate to GDP leading to the formation of GTP (EC 2.7.2.10). There is one candidate gene encoding a 45 kDa protein. 4.1.1.8. Phosphoglycerate mutase Phosphoglycerate mutase (Reeves, 1984) isomerises 3-phosphoglycerate to 2-phosphoglycerate (EC 5.4.2.1). Five divergent putative genes for this enzyme are found in the genome. Two gene products of 62 kDa were classified as 2,3-bisphosphoglycerateindependent phosphoglycerate mutases (XP_649031 and XP_654182); they differ only at their C-termini and display significant similarity to bacterial phosphoglycerate mutases. The three other genes are very divergent. XP_651808 was identified as a candidate for lateral gene transfer (LGT) (Loftus et al., 2005) (see Section 10). The remaining two gene

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products XP_649053 and XP_657284 are related to genes found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

4.1.1.9. Enolase (2-phosphoglycerate dehydratase) Enolase (EC 4.2.1.11) converts 2-phosphoglycerate to phosphoenolpyruvate. The gene has been cloned (Beanan and Bailey, 1995) and the protein characterised (Hidalgo et al., 1997) previously. The 47 kDa gene product is a typical eukaryotic enolase (XP_649161). A carboxy-terminally truncated incomplete ORF is also found. 4.1.1.10. Pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase and pyruvate kinase In E. histolytica, both activities forming ATP and pyruvate from phosphoenolpyruvate have been found. The exergonic pyruvate kinase reaction uses ADP (Saavedra et al., 2004), and the pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase uses AMP and PPi in a slightly endergonic reaction (Varela-Gomez et al., 2004). The dikinase activity is found in C4 plants where it is involved in phosphoenolpyruvate generation for gluconeogenesis. In E. histolytica it was discovered long before the pyruvate kinase (Reeves, 1968). The cloning of pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase (EC 2.7.9.1) was reported by two groups. The published sequences (Bruchhaus and Tannich, 1993; Saavedra Lira et al., 1992) are highly similar or identical to XP_657332 and XP_654666. In addition there are two shorter related ORFs. In the genome three putative pyruvate kinase genes (EC 2.7.1.40) have been identified. The three are identical except for an amino-terminal deletion in XP_648240 and an internal deletion in XP_653635. 4.1.1.11. Pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) and ferredoxin PFOR (EC 1.2.7.1) is an enzyme of major importance to E. histolytica, as the parasite lacks NADĂž-dependent pyruvate dehydrogenase and pyruvate decarboxylase (Reeves, 1984). No evidence for the latter two genes was found in the genome, confirming the biochemical results. PFOR oxidatively decarboxylates pyruvate to acetyl-CoA. The electrons are transferred to ferredoxin which, in its reduced form, can activate and reduce metronidazole, the major anti-amoebic drug (MuÂ¨ller, 1986). The activated form of metronidazole can potentially react with a number of biomolecules and is able to cleave the parasite DNA. In human cells, metronidazole is not activated and is much less toxic. In T. vaginalis, down-regulation of PFOR is one mechanism of producing metronidazole resistance (Kulda, 1999); however, PFOR expression appears unaltered in partially resistant E. histolytica (Samarawickrema et al., 1997; Wassmann et al., 1999). All eukaryotic PFOR genes, including that of E. histolytica, appear to have been acquired during an ancient LGT event from bacteria

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(Horner et al., 1999; Rotte et al., 2001). There are two putative PFORs in the E. histolytica genome, displaying minor sequence differences. The genome contains seven ferredoxin genes in total with five quite divergent sequences. All are related to eubacterial and archaeal ferredoxins (Nixon et al., 2002). The gene pairs XP_655183/XP_655182 and XP_654311/XP_652694 are identical. The other three gene products represent more divergent ORFs. The deduced proteins have similar molecular masses, between 6.1 and 8.8 kDa, and different predicted isoelectric points between 4.2 and 8.6 kDa.

4.1.1.12. Acetyl-CoA synthetase (acetate thiokinase) The normal fate of acetyl-CoA in mitochondriate organisms is entry into the tricarboxylic acid cycle. However, this pathway is absent from E. histolytica. Instead, the cleavage energy of the thioester bond of acetyl-CoA can be used to generate one ATP molecule. One of the known acetyl-CoA synthetases generates ATP from ADP and Pi (EC 6.2.1.13). Such an enzyme has been characterised by Reeves et al. (1977) and cloned (Field et al., 2000), and reported to be a 77 kDa protein. The common acetyl-CoA synthetase activity that produces ATP from AMP and PPi (EC 6.2.1.1) appears to be absent in E. histolytica. 4.1.1.13. Aldehyde and alcohol dehydrogenases The E. histolytica genome encodes a complex system of alcohol or aldehyde dehydrogenases. In total, there are 25 predicted genes, 3 of which are on the list of LGT candidates. Alcohol dehydrogenase ADH1 was the first alcohol dehydrogenase to be characterised in E. histolytica (Reeves et al., 1971) and is a NADPHdependent enzyme (EC 1.1.1.2). The gene was previously cloned (Kumar et al., 1992); in the genome 3 genes are almost identical to that sequence, while 1 (XP_652772) has 67% identity. Fermentation in E. histolytica uses the bifunctional NADH-dependent enzyme ADH2, which belongs to the ADHE family and has both alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities (Lo and Reeves, 1978). Under anaerobic conditions, reduction of the acetyl-CoA generated by PFOR to ethanol is one way to regenerate the NADĂž used by glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. ADH2 first reduces acetyl-CoA to an enzyme-bound hemiacetal which is then hydrolysed to acetaldehyde (EC 1.2.1.10) and further reduced to ethanol (EC 1.1.1.1). If the enzyme is also able to work in the reverse direction, E. histolytica would be able to generate acetyl-CoA and energy from ethanol in the presence of oxygen. This would explain older reports of ethanol stimulated oxygen uptake in E. histolytica (Weinbach and Diamond, 1974). The enzyme is closely related to AdhE from E. coli and other bacteria (Reid and Fewson, 1994), and there is strong support for its aquisition by LGT (Andersson et al., 2006;

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Field et al., 2000; Loftus et al., 2005) (see Section 10). Like its bacterial homologue, ADH2 appears to form helical rods that sediment with membrane fractions (Avila et al., 2002). Two groups have previously cloned ADH2 (Bruchhaus and Tannich, 1994; Yang et al., 1994), and in total the genome contains five full-length ADH2 genes and one that is truncated. All share between 98 and 100% sequence identity. In total, there are 11 alcohol dehydrogenase ADH3 genes in the genome, 2 of which have been reported previously (Kimura et al., 1996; Rodriguez et al., 1996). The recombinant enzyme characterised by Rodriguez et al. (1996) was NADPH-specific, like ADH1. There are five genes similar to these previously reported sequences. The rest of the ADH3 sequences fall into two groups of three similar sequences. All 11 ADH3 sequences are between 44 and 100% identical on the amino acid level. XP_649823 was originally on the list of LGT candidates (Loftus et al., 2005), and a similarity to ADH3 sequences of gram-negative bacteria had been noted before (Nixon et al., 2002). However, a related sequence is now known to exist in T. vaginalis also (see Section 10). The genome encodes three additional distinct alcohol dehydrogenases. XP_656535 is a putative Zn-containing enzyme, and is on the list of LGT candidates. XP_652753 has been annotated as a Fe-containing alcohol dehydrogenase and XP_652262 simply as putative alcohol dehydrogenase. One NADPH-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase encoding gene (ALDH1) is present and was reported previously (Zhang et al., 1994).

4.1.2. Energy storage: The glycogen metabolism

E. histolytica uses glycogen as its major energy store. Glycogen is a polymer of a-1,4-linked glucose chains with a-1,6 branch points, which in E. histolytica has a compact structure as suggested by branch points every 5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;6 glucose residues (Bakker-Grunwald et al., 1995). The cytoplasm of trophozoites contains numerous glycogen granules that were first observed by electron microscopy (Rosenbaum and Wittner, 1970) and later characterised biochemically (Takeuchi et al., 1977). A glycogen phosphorylase activity (EC 2.4.1.1), associated with the glycogen granules, generates glucose 1-phosphate from orthophosphate and the linear portion of various glucopolysaccharides (Werries and Thurn, 1989). The genome contains at least six putative full-length and truncated genes encoding glycogen phosphorylases, two of which were cloned by Wu and MuÂ¨ller (2003). These authors noted a marked sequence divergence in those regions of the enzymes involved in regulation by phosphorylation and concluded that classical regulation by phosphorylation may not occur. Glycogen phosphorylase degrades the linear chains only down to the a-1,6 branch points. The remaining core molecule is called limit dextrin.

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Degradation can proceed further with the help of a debranching enzyme that has been purified (Werries et al., 1990). It exhibits activities of both amylo-1,6-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.33) and 4-a-glucanotransferase (EC 2.4.1.25). The genome contains two genes putatively encoding a full-length (XP_653608) and a truncated glycogen debranching enzyme. The deduced molecular mass of the large protein is 166 kDa, which corresponds to the biochemical data (Werries et al., 1990). Glucose 1-phosphate is isomerised to glucose 6-phosphate by phosphoglucomutase (EC 5.4.2.2) before entering the glycolytic pathway. The isoelectric points of the phosphoglucomutases from E. histolytica and E. dispar differ, and this was exploited for differentiation of the two species by starch gel electrophoresis (Sargeaunt et al., 1978). The migration properties are reproduced by recombinant enzymes and are the result of primary sequence differences (Ortner et al., 1997a). E. histolytica has one gene coding for this important enzyme, and in addition there are two distantly related members of the phosphoglucomutase/phosphomannomutase family. Genes encoding the enzymes involved in glycogen biosynthesis in E. histolytica have been identified: a glycogen synthase (EC 2.4.1.11) of 155 kDa and 2 putative branching enzymes (EC 2.4.1.18). The glycogen precursor UDP-glucose is generated from UTP and glucose 1-phosphate by UTP:glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (EC 2.7.7.9). Two UTPhexose-1-phosphate uridyltransferases have been characterised biochemically, a larger glucose 1-phosphate-specific enzyme of 45 kDa and a less specific enzyme of 40 kDa reported to use both galactose 1-phosphate and glucose 1-phosphate (Lobelle-Rich and Reeves, 1983). The genome contains one larger ORF encoding a putative UTP:glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase of 54.7 kDa and 2 smaller ones encoding enzymes of 46.3 kDa with high similarity identified as UTP:N-acetyl-glucosamine-1phosphate uridyltransferases. These enzymes are interesting in that they could possibly be involved in the activation of N-acetyl-glucosamine 1-phosphate as a precursor of the chitin cyst wall.

4.1.3. Catabolism of sugars other than glucose 4.1.3.1. Activation of fructose and galactose for glycolysis Neither Hxk1 nor Hxk2 can use fructose or galactose as a substrate, but there are 2 genes encoding bacterial-type enzymes that may do so, a 33 kDa fructokinase, which is one of the candidates for LGT to the E. histolytica lineage (see Section 10), and a 43 kDa galactokinase. The fructokinase groups with bacterial fructose 6-kinases (EC 2.7.1.4), and the galactokinase groups with galactose 1-kinases (EC 2.7.1.6). This substrate specificity has been noted before (Reeves, 1984). Fructose 6-phosphate enters as an intermediate of the glycolytic pathway (see Section 4.1.1.3). As described earlier (see Section

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4.1.2), galactose 1-phosphate can be activated to UDP-galactose (LobelleRich and Reeves, 1983) and then epimerised to UDP-glucose by UDPglucose 4-epimerase (EC 5.1.3.2) (Reeves, 1984). In the genome, a single candidate 38 kDa ORF for the latter enzyme has been identified. The UDPbound glucose can then be used either for the synthesis of glycogen or fed into the glycolysis pathway via glucose 1-phosphate and glucose 6-phosphate. This efficient pathway allows E. histolytica to grow on galactose instead of glucose (Reeves, 1984).

4.1.3.2. Anomerisation of aldoses The 1-position in the pyranose form of aldoses has a hydroxyl group that can be in either the a- or b-configuration. These forms can be interconverted by means of an aldose 1-epimerase (EC 5.1.3.3), an enzyme that has recently been characterised (Villalobo et al., 2005). There is a single gene encoding this product. 4.1.3.3. Activation of pentoses Two gene candidates encoding pentoseactivating enzymes have been identified in the E. histolytica genome: a 35 kDa ribokinase (EC 2.7.1.15) and a 56 kDa xylulokinase (EC 2.7.1.17). The latter is another bacterial-type sequence putatively acquired by LGT. 4.1.3.4. Interconversion of hexoses and pentoses The pathway of interconversion between hexoses and pentoses in E. histolytica was described many years ago (Reeves, 1984; Susskind et al., 1982). A transketolase (EC 2.2.1.1) converts fructose 6-phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate into xylulose 5-phosphate and erythrose 4-phosphate. Erythrose 4-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate are condensed by the glycolytic enzyme fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase to sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphate, an extended substrate specificity of the aldolase. Phosphofructokinase then is able to remove a phosphate group forming diphosphate and sedoheptulose 7-phosphate. This molecule and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate are then converted by transketolase to the pentoses ribose 5-phosphate and xylulose 5-phosphate. A transaldolase activity is absent (Reeves, 1984) consistent with there being no such gene in the genome. In contrast, 7 gene products were identified as likely transketolases: 3 highly similar proteins of 73 kDa and 4 truncated versions.

4.2. Amino acid catabolism 4.2.1. General features As discussed earlier, glycolysis under anaerobic conditions can use only part of the energy contained in glucose for ATP generation. E. histolytica is capable not only of taking up amino acids (Reeves, 1984), but also using them for the generation of energy, as suggested by Zuo and Coombs (1995). The genome has revealed a number of unusual genes, often with bacterial

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affinities, coding for enzymes of amino acid catabolism (Anderson and Loftus, 2005). In many cases, the degradation of amino acids starts with a transamination reaction (EC 2.6.1.-) generating a 2-ketoacid. The E. histolytica genome has five ORFs identified as aminotransferases. These ORFs are distinct from each other with the exception of XP_655090 and XP_655099, which differ only by one insertion and are LGT candidates. So far there is no enzymological data on this group of enzymes, so their substrate specificities in E. histolytica are unknown. Both amino acid degradation and glycolysis have 2-ketoacids as intermediates. Pyruvate is one common intermediate, as amino acid degradation can produce either pyruvate or other 2-ketoacids. PFOR (see Section 4.1.1.11) is known to have a relaxed specificity, and in addition to pyruvate it can oxidatively decarboxylate 2-ketobutanoate, oxaloacetate and 2-ketoglutarate (Samarawickrema et al., 1997). The reaction generates CoA-thioesters with the potential of producing one ATP per molecule. The amino acids asparagine, aspartate, serine, alanine, tryptophan, cysteine, threonine, methionine, glutamine and glutamate can all be transformed into one of these 2-ketoacids in one or very few steps. This underlines the major importance of the PFOR in the energy metabolism of E. histolytica. The enzyme is indispensable, and as it always generates reduced ferredoxin it will always activate metronidazole. Consequently, it would be very difficult for E. histolytica to become resistant to metronidazole.

4.2.1. Aspartate and asparagine

E. histolytica takes up asparagine and aspartate in the presence or absence of glucose (Zuo and Coombs, 1995). Four putative asparaginases (EC 3.5.1.1) are found in the genome. Three are identical and share only 48% amino acid identity with the fourth (XP_656586). Asparaginase mediates the formation of aspartate from aspargine by releasing ammonia. The predicted sequences appear to possess a signal sequence, as suggested by the TargetP programme (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/TargetP/), which is reminiscent of a periplasmic isotype (EcA, type II) (Swain et al., 1993) that is up-regulated under anaerobic and carbon-restricted conditions (Cedar and Schwartz, 1967). Aspartate can be converted to fumarate and ammonia by aspartate ammonia-lyase (aspartase, EC 4.3.1.1). Addition of a water molecule by fumarase (EC 4.2.1.2) produces malate. The genome encodes a putative fumarase that is related to bacterial class I fumarases. The aspartase is a member of the bacterial class II fumarase/aspartase protein family (Woods et al., 1988), and also on the list of LGT candidates. Aspartate is also decomposed into oxaloacetate and ammonia by aspartate aminotransferase, with the concomitant production of

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glutamate from 2-oxoglutarate. Oxaloacetate is then converted into malate via malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37) and, since E. histolytica lacks both a functional TCA cycle and a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, the malate generated can be decarboxylated oxidatively to pyruvate by malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.39). Both of these enzymes are present in E. histolytica. Two very similar genes have been identified as encoding malic enzyme and are LGT candidates.

4.2.2. Serine, threonine

Serine and threonine are also taken up by E. histolytica in the presence and absence of glucose (Zuo and Coombs, 1995). Serine can be deaminated by the pyridoxal phosphate-dependent serine dehydratase (L-serine ammonia-lyase, EC 4.3.1.17) to pyruvate and ammonia. The enzyme was characterised by Takeuchi et al. (1979) who showed that addition of serine to the culture medium stimulated oxygen consumption. In an analogous reaction, threonine dehydratase (threonine ammonia-lyase, EC 4.3.1.19) breaks down threonine to 2-oxobutanoate. Both ketoacids can then be oxidised by PFOR to acetyl-CoA or propionyl-CoA. Both catabolic reactions can be carried out by the same enzyme, as has been shown in yeast for example (Ramos and Wiame, 1982). In the E. histolytica genome annotation, four gene products have been annotated as threonine dehydratases, but none as serine dehydratase. XP_650405 and XP_652480 are identical while XP_655614 and XP_657171 share 95 and 37% identity with the others, respectively. The exact substrate specificities of these four putative serine/threonine dehydratases have not been reported. Degradation of serine via the non-phosphorylated serine pathway, by the sequential reactions of L-serine: pyruvate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.51), D-glycerate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.29) and D-glycerate kinase (EC 2.7.1.31) (Snell, 1986) results in the glycolytic intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate. The genome encodes several putative aminotransferases (see Section 4.2.1), but it is not yet known if serine is among their substrates. An unusual bacterial-type NADPH-dependent D-glycerate dehydrogenase was characterised by Ali et al. (2003), and there are two genes encoding D-glycerate dehydrogenases, one of which (XP_648124) is among the weaker LGT candidates (see Section 10). The genome also contains two genes encoding identical glycerate kinases. The enzyme has recently been characterised (V. Ali and T. Nozaki, unpublished data).

4.2.3. Methionine, homocysteine and cysteine

Methionine g-lyase (EC 4.4.1.11) decomposes methionine to methanethiol (mercaptomethane), ammonia and 2-oxobutanoate. In E. histolytica, two methionine g-lyases, EhMGL1 and EhMGL2, of similar molecular weights

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have been characterised (Tokoro et al., 2003). These two isoenzymes show marked differences in substrate specificity, isoelectric point, enzymological and biochemical parameters (Tokoro et al., 2003). Both enzymes can also act on other amino acids. In addition to degrading methionine, both EhMGL1 (pI 6.01) and EhMGL2 (pI 6.63) can convert homocysteine to hydrogen sulphide, ammonia and 2-oxobutanoate. EhMGL2 also decomposes cysteine to hydrogen sulphide, ammonia and pyruvate, whereas EhMGL1 is only weakly active against cysteine. Decomposition of homocysteine by methionine g-lyase is essential since this parasite lacks the other known enzymes capable of destroying this toxic amino acid. In the genome, three ORFs correspond to EhMGL1 and one to EhMGL2. So far, the only eukaryotes known to possess methionine g-lyases are E. histolytica and T. vaginalis (Lockwood and Coombs, 1991). As the enzymes are absent from the human host and important for the generation of metabolic energy, they could be targets for chemotherapy (Coombs and Mottram, 2001; Tokoro et al., 2003). In addition to serving as a source of metabolic energy, another important role of methionine is as a donor of methyl groups via S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (synonymous with methionine adenosyltransferase, EC 2.5.1.6). Seven gene candidates were identified, four full-length and three truncated. The S-adenosylhomoserine left after the transfer of the activated methyl group can be hydrolysed by S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (EC 3.3.1.1), giving adenosine and homocysteine. Two candidate genes with identical sequences and one truncated form are present. However, E. histolytica lacks the remaining enzymes for the reverse transsulphuration pathway (forming cysteine from methionine) (Nozaki et al., 2005), that is cystathionine b-synthase and cystathionine g-lyase. In addition, E. histolytica lacks all enzymes involved in the forward transsulphuration (forming methionine from cysteine) including cobalamindependent methionine synthase (EC 2.1.1.13) or cobalamin-independent methionine synthase (EC 2.1.1.14), which suggests that E. histolytica is capable of neither converting homocysteine to cystathionine nor recycling homocysteine to methionine. E. histolytica lacks the methylthioadenosine cycle enzymes except for two, 50 -methylthioadenosine/S-adenosyl homocysteine nucleosidase (EC 3.2.2.9) and aspartate aminotransferase (AT, EC 2.6.1.1). The significance of these two enzymes in E. histolytica is unknown.

4.2.4. Arginine

In G. intestinalis and T. vaginalis the arginine deiminase (EC 3.5.3.6) pathway is important for energy generation (Knodler et al., 1994; Linstead and Cranshaw, 1983; Schofield and Edwards, 1994), generating one ATP molecule from the breakdown of arginine to ornithine. In contrast, no

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arginine deiminase gene or dihydrolase pathway was detected in the E. histolytica genome. In E. histolytica, arginine can either be degraded by arginase (EC 3.5.3.1) via ornithine or by arginine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.19) via agmatine. The arginine decarboxylase reaction uses up protons and may be involved in the acid resistance needed for the passage of cysts through the human stomach (Anderson and Loftus, 2005). Another function suggested for arginine degradation was that it depletes arginine as a substrate for human macrophages, preventing NO synthesis and amoebicidal activity (Elnekave et al., 2003). Both enzymes could also be important for the generation of the polyamine putrescine (see Section 4.3). The genome contains a single gene encoding a 96 kDa polypeptide annotated as ornithine/arginine/lysine decarboxylase, the substrate specificity of which has not yet been examined on the recombinant protein level. There is a single gene encoding a putative 33 kDa arginase.

4.2.5. Glutamate, glutamine In aerobic organisms, the 2-oxoglutarate generated from glutamate in a transaminase reaction enters the citric acid cycle for further catabolism. In E. histolytica, which also contains transaminases, 2-oxoglutarate can be oxidised by PFOR to give succinyl-CoA from which one molecule of ATP can be generated. Several other gene products of E. histolytica could act on glutamine and glutamate. The genome lacks a glutaminase (EC 3.5.1.2) to carry out the simple hydrolysis of glutamine. Instead there is a putative glucosaminefructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.16), which uses the energy in the amide group of glutamine to generate glucosamine 6-phosphate from fructose 6-phosphate. This product may be used for cyst wall biosynthesis.

4.2.6. Tryptophan Tryptophan can be degraded to indole, pyruvate and ammonia by the PLP-dependent enzyme tryptophanase (EC 4.1.99.1), for which one candidate gene exists. To date, tryptophanase has only been found in bacteria and T. vaginalis and it is also on the list of LGT candidates.

4.2.7. Alanine: A possible special case Alanine could potentially be transformed into pyruvate by alanine aminotransferase (synonymous with alanine:pyruvate transaminase, EC 2.6.1.2). However, E. histolytica is reported to excrete alanine (Zuo and Coombs, 1995), suggesting that this enzyme is not used under the culture conditions tested. Conceivably, the purpose of the excretion process may be to carry excess nitrogen out of the cell in the absence of a functional urea cycle.

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4.2.8. Catabolism of other amino acids Most of the enzymes for branched-chain amino acid metabolism are missing in E. histolytica, but leucine, isoleucine and valine could be transformed into 2-oxoisocaproate, 2-oxo-3-methylvalerate and 2-oxovalerate, respectively, by a putative branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.42), one of the aminotransferases mentioned earlier (see Section 4.2). This could produce ammonia or transfer the amino group to 2-oxoglutarate to form glutamate. Subsequent oxidative decarboxylation to give the respective CoA-derivatives could be envisaged, but so far no gene candidates for the necessary dehydrogenases have been identified. One gene encodes a putative histidine ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.3), which is responsible for the decomposition of histidine into urocanate and ammonia. Other than the formation of ammonia, the significance of this enzyme is not clear since the downstream enzymes involved in histidine catabolism from urocanate to glutamate were not found. Currently, there is little information regarding the fate of the amino acids glycine, proline, phenylalanine, tyrosine and lysine in E. histolytica. No genes for the catabolic enzymes necessary were detected except for an LGT candidate bacterial-type 96 kDa broad-specificity ornithine/ arginine/lysine decarboxylase that may be acting on lysine.

4.3. Polyamine metabolism The absence of S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.50), which converts S-adenosyl methionine into decarboxylated S-adenosyl methionine, spermidine synthase (EC 2.5.1.16) and spermine synthase (EC 2.5.1.22), suggests a complete lack of polyamine metabolism in this parasite (Anderson and Loftus, 2005). However, as mentioned earlier, E. histolytica possesses genes encoding arginase and arginine decarboxylase. Both could be involved in the production of putrescine via agmatine and agmatinase (EC 3.5.3.11) or via ornithine and ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17). The high putrescine concentration in trophozoites demonstrated by NMR spectroscopy (9.5 mM) (Bakker-Grunwald et al., 1995) reinforces the physiological significance of putrescine. However, the fate of putrescine is unknown as neither spermine nor spermidine has been demonstrated in E. histolytica. There is controversy regarding the presence or absence of trypanothione, a spermidine-containing thiol, in E. histolytica. Trypanothione is a major thiol in trypanosomes and leishmania (Fairlamb and Cerami, 1992) and contains two molecules of glutathione joined by a spermidine linker. The first reports detected the presence of trypanothione in E. histolytica (Ondarza et al., 1997) but were contradicted soon after (Ariyanayagam and Fairlamb, 1999). More recently another study reaffirmed its presence

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(Ondarza et al., 2005). However, the gene encoding trypanothione reductase reported from E. histolytica strain HK-9 (AF503571) has no homologue in the genome of HM-1:IMSS. Although this matter has not been resolved, there is general agreement that the major thiol in E. histolytica is cysteine (Fahey et al., 1984). The E. histolytica genome encodes a 46 kDa ornithine decarboxylase with similarity to both plant and vertebrate enzymes, and there is also the 96 kDa ornithine/arginine/lysine decarboxylase (see Section 4.2.4). Only the former enzyme has been characterised at the biochemical level (Arteaga-Nieto et al., 2002) and has been shown to be insensitive to difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), as is E. histolytica (Gillin et al., 1984). The conversion of arginine into putrescine via agmatine, in a reaction initiated by arginine decarboxylase, is generally present in bacteria and plants. Although arginine decarboxylase is present in E. histolytica, agmatinase (EC 3.5.3.11), which further catalyses conversion of agmatine into putrescine and urea, appears absent. However, one gene identified as a 33 kDa arginase also shares 21% sequence identity with human mitochondrial agmatinase and therefore its substrates need to be examined on the biochemical level to see whether the enzyme can act on arginine, agmatine, or both. At present, the role of arginine decarboxylase in E. histolytica is not clear, although as mentioned earlier this enzyme may also be involved in acid resistance in E. histolytica.

4.4. Biosynthesis of amino acids 4.4.1. Cysteine and serine One of the areas in which reduction of metabolism is most evident is in amino acid biosynthesis. Biosynthetic pathways for most amino acids other than serine and cysteine (Ali et al., 2003, 2004a; Nozaki et al., 1998a, 1999) have been lost in E. histolytica. Similarly, P. falciparum, which predominantly acquires amino acids from host haemoglobins, lacks biosynthesis of most amino acids (Gardner et al., 2002). Intracellular concentrations of some amino acids (glutamate, leucine, valine and proline in descending order of abundance) are very high in E. histolytica ranging from 6 to 21 mM (Bakker-Grunwald et al., 1995). In particular, the glutamate and proline concentrations are much higher in the cells than in the growth medium (21 and 7.3 mM vs. 5.9 and 1.8 mM, respectively). Glutamate accounts for over one-third of the total amino acid pool (Bakker-Grunwald et al., 1995), and is likely to play a central role in homeostasis not only of amino acids but also of energy metabolism in general. Thus, it is likely that these amino acids are actively taken up by as-yet unidentified amino acid transporters. Retention of the serine and cysteine biosynthetic pathways when the others have been lost is likely related to the physiological importance of

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cysteine, which is the major intracellular thiol of this parasite. The cysteine biosynthetic pathway consists of two major steps, catalysed by serine acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.30), which produces O-acetylserine from serine and acetyl-coenzyme A, and cysteine synthase (EC 2.5.1.47), which subsequently transfers an alanyl moiety from O-acetylserine to sulphide to produce cysteine. E. histolytica possesses three genes each for cysteine synthase and serine acetyltransferase. Cysteine synthases 1 and 2 were considered to be allelic isotypes (Nozaki et al., 1998b), while cysteine synthase 3 appears to be distinct, with only 83% identity to cysteine synthases 1 and 2. In contrast, all three serine acetyltransferase genes seem to be distinct, showing only 48â&#x20AC;&#x201C;73% identity (V. Ali and T. Nozaki., unpublished data). It was previously shown that cysteine synthases 1 and 2 and serine acetyltransferase 1 are unique in that (a) they do not form a heterocomplex, in contrast to other organisms (Bogdanova and Hell, 1997; Droux et al., 1998) and (b) serine acetyltransferase 1 is sensitive to allosteric inhibition by both L-cysteine and L-cystine (Nozaki et al., 1999). Since all variants of these two enzymes lack organelle-targeting sequences, the significance of the multiple isotypes is unknown. It is important to determine subcellular distribution and specific functions of these isotypes to understand the significance of the redundancy. As this pathway is absent in humans, it is a rational target for development of new chemotherapeutic drugs against amoebiasis. Serine is synthesised de novo utilising the glycolytic intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate, in a pathway that includes three sequential reactions catalysed by D-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.95), phospho-Lserine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.52), and O-phospho L-serine phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.3). Although the final enzyme has not yet been enzymologically and functionally analysed, the first two enzymes have been characterised (Ali and Nozaki, 2006; Ali et al., 2004a).

4.4.2. Interconversion of glutamateâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;glutamine and aspartateâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;asparagine The single step interconversions of glutamate and glutamine, catalysed by glutamate synthase (EC 1.4.1.13) and glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2), and of aspartate and asparagine by asparagine synthase (EC 6.3.5.4) are found in E. histolytica. There are two isotypes of glutamine synthetase with 47% amino acid identity and five candidate genes. NADPH-dependent glutamate synthase (EC 1.4.1.13) catalyses the formation of two glutamates from glutamine and 2-oxo-glutarate in bacteria, yeasts and plants, and together with glutamine synthetase is involved in ammonia fixation under ammonia-restricted conditions. NADPH-dependent glutamate synthase is normally composed of two large and two small subunits (Petoukhov et al., 2003). Although three genes encoding the small subunit are present, the large subunit appears to be absent in E. histolytica. These

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putative NADPH-dependent glutamate synthase small subunits share 80% amino acid identity and show 44% amino acid identity to homologues from the Archaea. The similarity to archaeal-type glutamate synthase (Nesbo et al., 2001) suggests that the E. histolytica small subunits may function as a glutamate synthase without the large subunit, as shown for gltA from the archaean Pyrococcus (Jongsareejit et al., 1997). The two enzymes that catalyse interconversion between aspartate and asparagine, aspartate ammonia ligase (EC 6.3.1.1) and asparaginase (EC 3.5.1.1; see Section 4.2.1), are present in E. histolytica. Two types of aspartate ammonia ligases, AsnA and AsnB, are known from other organisms: the former utilises only ammonia, while the latter uses both ammonia and glutamine as amide donors in a reverse reaction. Mammals possess only AsnA, whereas prokaryotes have both AsnA and AsnB (Boehlein et al., 1996; Nakamura et al., 1981). Interestingly, E. histolytica possesses only the AsnB homologue. Thus, the amoebic enzyme is likely involved in the formation of glutamate from glutamine, in addition to asparagine formation from aspartate.

4.4.3. Synthesis of glutamate and aspartate Glutamate can be formed from 2-oxo-glutarate and ammonia in a reversible reaction catalysed by glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.2), which is present in E. histolytica. It is known that this enzyme plays a dominant role in ammonia fixation under ammonia-non-restricted conditions as this reaction consumes no ATP. In addition, glutamate dehydrogenase is also involved in gluconeogenesis from glutamate. Aspartate ammonia-lyase (synonymous with aspartase, EC 4.3.1.1), which decomposes aspartate into fumarate and ammonia in a reversible reaction, is also present in E. histolytica (see Section 4.2.1).

4.5. Lipid metabolism For E. histolytica, the lack of oxidative phosphorylation means that the high energy content of lipids such as fatty acids cannot be exploited. Therefore, lipids such as phospholipids and cholesterol are primarily membrane components in E. histolytica (Das et al., 2002; Sawyer et al., 1967). Although these components are mainly acquired from their food or from the human host, E. histolytica does have some capability for biosynthesis, as well as extending and remodelling lipids, and for attaching lipids to proteins.

4.5.1. Lipid biosynthetic capabilities 4.5.1.1. Polyisoprene biosynthesis and protein prenylation Cholesterol is an important membrane constituent generated from C5 isoprene precursors. E. histolytica trophozoites in axenic culture need cholesterol in their

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growth medium (Reeves, 1984), and it is likely that they acquire it from their human host. Reeves (1984) even cites several studies which show that hypercholesteremia in the host increases the damage inflicted by amoebic infection. E. histolytica lacks several enzymes for the classical sterol biosynthesis pathway (Schroepfer, 1981). The first stage of sterol biosynthesis is the formation of isopentenyl- or dimethylallyl diphosphate. In the E. histolytica genome no candidate genes for the generation of these intermediates were found, neither for the mevalonate pathway nor for the mevalonate-independent methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway that operates in bacteria and plants (Hunter et al., 2003; Rohmer et al., 1993). In a later step towards cholesterol synthesis, two molecules of C15 farnesyl diphosphate are dimerised to give C30 presqualene diphosphate by squalene synthetase (EC 2.5.1.21). This enzyme activity and those catalysing the subsequent steps also appear to be absent. The genome data thus support the long-standing conclusion that cholesterol biosynthesis is absent from E. histolytica. Unexpectedly, the E. histolytica genome appears to encode enzymes involved in the intermediate stages of cholesterol biosynthesis from C5 isopentenyl diphosphate to C15 farnesyl diphosphate. The latter compound, and the larger C20 compound geranylgeranyl diphosphate, may serve as precursors for the hydrophobic modification of GTP-binding proteins allowing them to bind to membranes (Grunler et al., 1994). Protein prenylation is a ubiquitous process. It is important in human cell biology, health and disease (McTaggart, 2006), but it is also essential for parasites such that protein farnesylation has been proposed as a potential novel target for anti-parasitic chemotherapy (Maurer-Stroh et al., 2003), including anti-E. histolytica chemotherapy (Ghosh et al., 2004). The first enzyme in this pathway is the isopentenyl-diphosphate d-isomerase that catalyses the conversion of isopentenyl diphosphate to dimethylallyl diphosphate (EC 5.3.3.2). There is a single gene encoding this enzyme that is of presumed bacterial origin and is on the list of LGT candidates. The two isomeric C5 isoprenyl diphosphates undergo condensation to C10 geranyl diphosphate, catalysed by geranyldiphosphate synthase (EC 2.5.1.1). Farnesyl-diphosphate synthase (EC 2.5.1.10) then adds another C5 unit to give C15 farnesyl diphosphate. Finally geranylgeranyl-diphosphate synthase (EC 2.5.1.29) adds another C5 prenyl unit to give C20 geranylgeranyl diphosphate. The genome contains five putative prenyl transferase genes, which all have been annotated as geranylgeranyl-diphosphate synthases. Their sequences are highly similar, with the exception that the ORFs are disrupted in two of them (XP_650479 and XP_655958). These prenyl transferases appear to be of bacterial origin as well, and XP_650913 is on the list of LGT candidates. When searching for geranyl-diphosphate synthase or farnesyl-diphosphate synthase in the E. histolytica genome, the closest

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matches are for the same genes, so that the substrate specificity of these enzymes is unclear and needs to be examined biochemically. The E. histolytica genome contains one sequence each for the a and b chains of protein farnesyltransferase (EC 2.5.1.58), which were previously cloned and characterised as recombinant proteins (Kumagai et al., 2004). In addition to the protein farnesyltransferase, a protein geranylgeranyltransferase I (EC 2.5.1.59) b chain has recently been cloned and expressed together with the protein farnesyltransferase a chain (Makioka et al., 2006). The heterodimeric molecule had protein geranylgeranyltransferase activity of unusually broad substrate specificity. The a and b chains of the protein (Rab-)geranylgeranyltransferase II (EC 2.5.1.60) have also been cloned, as cDNAs (M. Kumagai, A. Makioka, T. Takeuchi and T. Nozaki, unpublished data). The E. histolytica genome encodes candidate enzymes for the modification of prenylated proteins. There are two highly divergent proteins both identified as CAAX prenyl proteases (EC 3.4.24.84). CAAX is the carboxy terminus of the substrate protein in which C is the prenylated cysteine residue, A is an aliphatic amino acid and X is the terminal residue. The proteases cleave after the modified cysteine. After the processing step, a prenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.100) methylates the carboxy-terminal residue; there are two divergent candidate genes for this enzyme. Taken together, the E. histolytica genome contains all the necessary genes to encode the pathway from isopentenyl diphosphate to a processed farnesylated or geranylgeranylated protein. The source of the starting material, isopentenyl diphosphate, remains unknown at this time, but there may be a previously unknown pathway for its synthesis or E. histolytica may be able to aquire it from its environment.

4.5.1.2. Fatty acid biosynthesis E. histolytica encodes an unusual 138 kDa acetyl-CoA carboxylase with 2 bacterial-type carboxylase domains, an acetyl-CoA carboxylase and a pyruvate carboxylase. Since no biotin carboxylase domain is found in the E. histolytica genome, it was proposed that the enzyme removes a carboxyl group from oxaloacetate and transfers it to acetyl-CoA, forming malonyl-CoA and pyruvate (Jordan et al., 2003; Loftus et al., 2005). This fusion protein has not been identified in any organisms other than Giardia and Entamoeba. In the classical pathway of fatty acid biosynthesis, starting from acetylCoA sequential two-carbon units are added from malonyl-CoA. In each round of extension, the b-keto group is reduced in three steps before a new two-carbon unit is added. The whole pathway is carried out in a large fatty acid synthase complex, where the growing chain is linked to an acyl carrier protein. E. histolytica lacks this classical pathway. There are,

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however, plant homologues of fatty acid chain elongases such as Arabidopsis thaliana KCS1 (Todd et al., 1999). There are eight putative fatty acid elongases in the E. histolytica genome, and all are very similar to each other. These enzymes could be involved in elongation of fatty acids taken up from the host or food sources, but their function and substrate specificity are unknown at this time.

4.5.2. Phospholipid metabolism

Phospholipids amount to 60â&#x20AC;&#x201C;70% of the total lipids in E. histolytica (Sawyer et al., 1967). So far little information is available at the biochemical level on how phospholipids are synthesised, acquired or remodelled. The genome project has revealed a number of genes, indicating that the phospholipid metabolism could be more complex than expected.

4.5.2.1. Phospholipid biosynthesis In order to produce phospholipids one has to generate the important intermediate phosphadidate (1,2diacylglycerol 3-phosphate) by phosphorylation and acylation of glycerol. E. histolytica contains one gene for a glycerol kinase (EC 2.7.1.30). The second step would be the transfer of the acyl group to glycerol-3phosphate by glycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.15), but no candidate gene for this enzyme has been found in the genome. There are, however, two potential 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferases (EC 2.3.1.51) that could attach the second acyl group. After the attachment of the acyl groups, and in preparation for the attachment of the activated aminoalcohols, the phosphate is removed by phosphadidate phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.4), for which there is one gene, resulting in a diacylglycerol. The activation of ethanolamine (EC 2.7.1.82) or choline (EC 2.7.1.32) for attachment to the phosphadidate starts with phosphorylation. There are two genes identified as choline/ethanolamine kinases that share 37% amino acid identity. Next, ethanolamine phosphate and choline phosphate are converted into CDP-ethanolamine (EC 2.7.7.14) and CDPcholine (EC 2.7.7.15), respectively. The genome encodes 2 enzymes sharing 57% sequence identity that are identified as ethanolamine-phosphate cytidylyltransferases. The substrate specificity of these enzymes needs to be examined on the biochemical level. Finally, the activated ethanolamine or choline is attached to diacylglycerol by the enzymes ethanolaminephosphotransferase (EC 2.7.8.1) or diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase (EC 2.7.8.2) producing phosphatidylethanolamine or phosphatidylcholine, respectively. For these activities a total of eight possible genes are found that share varying degrees of sequence similarity.

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In E. histolytica, an alternative pathway of phospholipid biosynthesis could involve the biosynthesis of phosphatidylserine. In this pathway, the phosphatidate itself is activated by CTP in a reaction catalysed by phosphatidate cytidylyltransferase (EC 2.7.7.41) resulting in CDP-diacylglycerol. Three genes have been identified. Phosphatidylserine synthase then catalyses the reaction of CDP-diacylglycerol with serine to give phosphatidylserine (EC 2.7.8.8); one gene has been found. Some organisms can form phosphatidylethanolamine from phosphatidylserine using a decarboxylase, but such an enzyme appears to be absent from the E. histolytica genome. There are, however, several candidate methyltransferases of yet unknown substrate specificity, which might be able to generate phosphatidylcholine from phosphatidylethanolamine. Taken together, large portions of the pathways needed to generate the most important phospholipids can be assembled from genes tentatively identified to date in the E. histolytica genome. The first acylation of glycerol 3-phosphate to lysophosphatidate remains an important gap. As E. histolytica could potentially aquire all the necessary phospholipids from the host, the functional relevance of the described biosynthetic pathways may not be high. Finally, two additional interesting enzymes present in E. histolytica should be mentioned. The first was previously characterised using cDNA sequences and recombinant proteins as L-myo-inositol 1-phosphate synthase (EC 5.5.1.4; Lohia et al., 1999). This enzyme catalyses the complicated isomerisation of glucose 6-phosphate to L-myo-inositol 1-phosphate. Inositol is found in phosphatidylinositol (PI) and in GPI-anchors of some membrane proteins, as well as playing a major role in signal transduction via the secondary messenger 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate. There are three myo-inositol 1-phosphate synthase genes, all highly similar to each other and to the previously sequenced cDNA. The second is phospholipid-cholesterol acyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.43), which transfers an acyl group from phospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine to cholesterol giving a cholesterol ester. The genome contains seven genes for this enzyme. So far nothing is known about the importance of cholesterol esters for E. histolytica.

4.5.2.2. Phospholipid degradation Phospholipids are degraded by phospholipases. Whereas phospholipases A1 (EC 3.1.1.32) and A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) cleave the acyl residues in the 1 or 2 position of the glycerol core, phospholipases C (EC 3.1.4.3) and D (EC 3.1.4.4) cleave at the phosphate, phospholipase C on the glycerol side, and phospholipase D on the aminoalcohol side. In E. histolytica phospholipase A activity has been implicated in virulence (Ravdin et al., 1985), as it liberates toxic fatty acids and

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lysophospholipids (Said-Fernandez and Lopez-Revilla, 1988). Phospholipases A have been found in two forms, a membrane-bound Ca-dependent form active at alkaline pH and a soluble Ca-independent form active at acid pH (Long-Krug et al., 1985; Vargas-Villarreal et al., 1998). The genome encodes 11 potential phospholipases A with predicted pI values between 4.8 and 8.8 and various degrees of sequence similarity. In addition, the E. histolytica genome encodes three potential phospholipases D. Finally, there are two highly similar genes for phospholipases C, but these are homologous to PI-specific phospholipases C (EC 3.1.4.11) and most likely do not cleave PI or phosphatidylcholine but GPI-anchors instead. So far there are no studies using individual recombinant phospholipases, and it is not yet known how much these enzymes may contribute to the virulence of E. histolytica.

4.6. Coenzyme A biosynthesis and pantothenate metabolism Analysis of the genome revealed a complete lack of known folatedependent enzymes and folate transporters, suggesting this cofactor is not utilised by E. histolytica. This is at odds with a study on the nutritional requirements of E. histolytica in which folate was found to be essential for growth (Diamond and Cunnick, 1991). More experimental research will be needed to resolve this discrepancy. Most organisms require folate as a cofactor for several reactions of amino acid metabolism and for synthesis of thymidylate, a component of DNA. The microsporidian E. cuniculi, which possesses the smallest-known eukaryotic genome, still contains a folate transporter and several folate-dependent enzymes (Katinka et al., 2001). In eukaryotes possessing mitochondria or chloroplasts, folate is required for the formylation of methionine on the initiator tRNA used for organelle protein synthesis. Although E. histolytica possesses a mitochondrion-derived organelle, the mitosome, there is no organellar genome (Leon-Avila and Tovar, 2004) and so no need for organellar protein synthesis. The most important metabolic consequences of the loss of folate metabolism for E. histolytica are therefore the absence of thymidylate synthesis and methionine recycling, although it remains possible that E. histolytica possesses folate-independent enzymes carrying out these steps. Phosphopantothenoyl-cysteine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.36) and phosphopantothenoyl-cysteine synthetase (EC 6.3.2.5, synonymous with phosphopantothenate-cysteine ligase) exist as a fusion protein in E. histolytica, as in Bacteria and Archaea. The amino- and carboxyl-terminal domains possess decarboxylase and synthetase activity, respectively (Kupke, 2002, 2004; Kupke et al., 2000; Strauss et al., 2001). The role of this enzyme in coenzyme A biosynthesis is not well understood in E. histolytica as the other necessary enzymes are absent.

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4.7. Nucleic acid metabolism Like many protistan parasites, E. histolytica lacks de novo purine synthesis (Reeves, 1984). The genome reveals that nucleic acid metabolism of E. histolytica is similar to that of the other lumenal parasites G. intestinalis and T. vaginalis in lacking pyrimidine synthesis and thymidylate synthase (Aldritt et al., 1985; Wang and Cheng, 1984). In addition, E. histolytica appears to lack ribonucleotide reductase, a characteristic shared with G. intestinalis (Baum et al., 1989). Ribonucleotide reductase was found, however, in genomic sequences of the species E. invadens and E. moshkovskii, indicating that the enzyme was lost or replaced relatively recently. Among eukaryotes, the loss of these areas of nucleic acid metabolism is otherwise rare. The enzymes were likely lost during adaptation to living in an organic nutrient rich environment.

4.8. Missing pieces Several important enzymes and pathways could not be found within the genome and their presumed sequence divergence from known enzymes and pathways labels them as possible drug targets once they are identified. Phosphopyruvate carboxylase, which reversibly converts phosphoenolpyruvate to oxaloacetate, is a central enzyme of carbon metabolism in E. histolytica (Reeves, 1970), but could not be identified. Isoprenyl-PP synthesis and aminoethylphosphonate synthesis are also likely to be present, but no candidate genes could be identified.

4.9. Transporters A total of 174 transporters were identified within the genome, a number intermediate between the 62 transporters of P. falciparum and the 286 transporters of S. cerevisiae (http://membranetransport.org). E. histolytica has a number of ion transporters similar to those of yeast, but fewer identifiable nutrient and organellar transporters. Both Plasmodium and Entamoeba have reduced metabolisms and take up many complex nutrients. The higher number of transporters in Entamoeba suggests that they may be more substrate specific than the Plasmodium transporters or that they may have a higher level of redundancy. Since glucose transport activity has experimentally been characterised in E. histolytica and glucose is thought to be the major energy source, it was surprising to find no homologues of known hexose transporters in the genome. Most hexose transporters belong to the sugar porter subfamily of the major facilitator superfamily (TC 2.A.1.1), members of which are found in prokaryotes, animals, fungi, plants and other protists, including D. discoideum, but no proteins of this family were found in the

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E. histolytica genome. A group of candidate monosaccharide transporters found within the genome are related to the glucose/ribose porter family from prokaryotes (TC 2.A.7.5). These transporters consist of two related domains, and the Entamoeba proteins appear to have the N-terminal and C-terminal domains switched relative to the bacterial proteins. Functional characterisation of transporter-encoding genes will be necessary for a more complete picture.

5. THE CYTOSKELETON The eukaryotic cytoskeleton is composed of three main elements: actin microfilaments, tubulin-based microtubules and intermediate filaments. Despite the fact that E. histolytica is very motile and performs phagocytosis very efficiently, its cytoskeletal components are simple. No genes encoding homologues of intermediate filament network proteins, including keratins, desmin and vimentin, have been identified in E. histolytica, providing further evidence that these particular cytoskeletal components are rather poorly conserved in evolution. In contrast, microfilament and microtubule components have been readily identified. Additional detail is given in the supplementary tables for this section.

5.1. Actin and microfilaments Genome information suggests that E. histolytica has a greater dependence than other protists on an actin-rich cytoskeletal network. Microfilament proteins are represented by actin and several actin-binding proteins, although there are notable differences with respect to analogous proteins in other eukaryotes. There are eight actin genes in the E. histolytica genome, in addition to six others that encode divergent actins. Three divergent actins surprisingly contain an extra N-terminal domain with as yet unknown functional characteristics. Examples of hybrid actins are rather scarce and have been found as ubiquitin fusions (Archibald et al., 2003). The functional significance of these E. histolytica hybrid actins is as yet unknown. Under physiological salt concentrations, monomeric actin assembles into polymers of F-actin, thus building microfilaments. Actin assembles and disassembles in an extremely dynamic and highly controlled process that is dependent on many different actin-binding proteins (Winder and Ayscough, 2005). The E. histolytica genome encodes homologues of actin-binding proteins involved in the severing, bundling, crosslinking and capping of filamentous actin. The number and variety of actin-binding proteins support the view that the actin-rich cytoskeleton is very dynamic in E. histolytica.

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Since the spontaneous polymerisation of actin monomers is inhibited by the action of sequestering proteins such as thymosin b4 and profilin, efficient actin polymerisation requires the intervention of an actin polymerisation-promoting factor. The best-described promoting factors are the Arp2/3 complex and the formin protein family. The Arp2/3 complex is composed of two actin-related proteins (Arp2 and Arp3, which act as a template for new actin filaments) and works in conjunction with five additional subunits: ARPC1 to 5 (Vartiainen and Machesky, 2004). All subunits have clearly been identified in the E. histolytica genome, and among these the Arp2 and Arp 3 subunits are the best conserved. The Arp2/3 complexâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to nucleate new actin filaments is stimulated by its interaction with nucleation promoting factors such as the Wiskottâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) or the suppressor of cAMP-receptor (SCAR) factor. Surprisingly, no proteins with homology to WASP/SCAR components were found in the genome, suggesting that actin nucleation depends on the activity of other, as yet unidentified proteins. In contrast, E. histolytica possesses six genes coding for formins, which have emerged as potent regulators of actin dynamics in eukaryotic cells through their ability to increase actin filament assembly (Higgs and Peterson, 2005). Formins control rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton, especially in the context of cytokinesis and cell polarisation. Members of this family have been found to interact with Rho-GTPases, profilin and other actin-associated proteins. The precise nature of this polymerisationaccelerating activity differs from one formin to another: some nucleate filaments de novo, some require profilin for effective nucleation, while yet others seem to use filament severing as their basic mechanism. However, the formin homology 2 domain (FH2, comprising roughly 400 amino acids) is central to formin activity (Otomo et al., 2005; Xu et al., 2004). Actin nucleation by formins is thought to occur by stabilisation of an unfavourable nucleation intermediate, possibly through FH2 domains binding to monomers in the same manner that they bind to barbed ends (an activity influenced by profilin). The formin homologues from E. histolytica all contain an FH2 domain, suggesting that they are potential actin nucleation factors. Once nucleated, actin filaments are able to grow rapidly by addition of monomers at their barbed ends. Filaments are regulated by several mechanisms (Winder and Ayscough, 2005). Filament length is controlled by capping proteins: barbed end cappers (such as capping protein and gelsolin) block addition of new monomers and thus act to decrease the overall length of the filament. In addition, gelsolin severs actin filaments, thereby rapidly increasing actin dynamics. Actin filaments appear to be significantly shorter in E. histolytica when compared with those from fibroblasts and stress fibres are not formed in this amoeba. Although

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E. histolytica actin has been shown not to bind DNase I (Meza et al., 1983), the inferred amino acid sequence indicates conservation of all the residues likely to participate in this binding eventâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;suggesting that post-translational modifications of actin monomers may prevent DNAse I -actin binding. It remains to be determined whether such modifications of actin participate in the regulation of actin polymerisation. The genome encodes multiple genes associated with filament capping and severing, as well as candidates for proteins that cross-link actin filaments and thus organise them into a supramolecular network. The organisation of actin into networks and higher-order structures is crucial for both cell shape and function. These structures can be responsible for overall cell shape and related processes, such as bundle formation through a-actinin activity, for example. The arrangement of actin filaments into cross-linked arrays is also mediated by proteins with multiple actin-binding domains, which allows a more perpendicular arrangement of actin filaments. Examples of this type of protein are the large, flexible filamin dimer (Vargas et al., 1996) and the spectrin tetramer. Genome analysis has now identified many candidate genes for actin-binding proteins in E. histolytica, and additional protein partners of this versatile family responsible for cytoskeleton regulation are likely to emerge from curation of the sequence and cellular studies of cell motility and phagocytosis in this parasite.

5.2. Tubulins and microtubules E. histolytica has a lower dependence on a tubulin-based cytoskeleton than most other eukaryotic cells. Protein homologues of the basic (a, b and g) tubulins are present, although other tubulins more characteristic of organisms with basal bodies and flagella (e.g., e- and d-tubulins) are absent from E. histolytica (Dutcher, 2001). Nine different tubulins (grouped into multigene families) exist in most eukaryotic cells. Microtubules (MTs) composed of a- and b-tubulins are intranuclear in E. histolytica (Vayssie et al., 2004), and this raises the question of how such structures are modulated within the nucleus, given that MT dynamics require MT nucleation-based renewal at the minus end and MT capping at the plus end. Proteins involved in MT nucleation act in concert with g-tubulin (which is also intra-nuclear in E. histolytica), and this parasite possesses at least one homologue to the Spc98 factor, a component of the MT-nucleating Tub4p-g tubulin complex. In contrast, no homologues of EB1, CLIP-170, APC (all involved in MT capping) or centrins (which operate at the MT organising centre) have yet been identified, suggesting that other factors (or mechanical constraints within the MT) may be required in blocking MT growth. E. histolytica does encode candidate proteins involved in MT severing or chromosome segregation. All these proteins are good candidates for experimental analysis of the mechanisms of intranuclear

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MT localisation and turnover as well as of the trafficking of tubulins between the cytoplasm and nucleus. There is little information available on the precise organisation of microtubules and F-actin cytoskeleton during E. histolytica motility. In many eukaryotic cells, F-actin–microtubule interactions can be observed in lamellipodia at all stages. Interestingly, microtubules preferentially grow along actin bundles in filopodia, suggesting that a physical link between the structures exists (Leung et al., 2002). Multifunctional MTassociated proteins (MAPs, like MAP1B, MAP2 and plakins) are promising candidates for acting as such links, either via dimerisation of MAPs with single microtubule and actin binding sites or via direct bridging of the two cytoskeletons (e.g., via plakins, which contain binding sites for both microtubules and actin within a single molecule). Plakin homologues have not been identified in the E. histolytica genome but a MAP is present. Furthermore, proteins with domains that can bind to actin (and potentially to MT) have been described in E. histolytica—the actin binding protein ABP-120 gelation factor, for example (Vargas et al., 1996).

5.3. Molecular motors The distribution of intracellular factors and vesicles is performed using three sets of molecular transporters: myosin along microfilaments and kinesin and dynein along MTs. Although E. histolytica is a highly motile cell, stress fibres and cytoplasmic MTs have never been observed. The fluidity of the parasite’s cytoplasm may be related to features of its molecular motors some of which are very surprising. The myosin family of actin filament-based molecular motors consists of at least 20 structurally and functionally distinct classes. The human genome contains nearly 40 myosin genes, representing 12 of these classes. Remarkably, E. histolytica is the first reported instance of a eukaryote with only one unconventional myosin. This myosin heavy chain (myosin IB) belongs to the type I myosin family, of which 12 are present in the Dictyostelium genome (Eichinger et al., 2005). All members of the myosin family share a common structure composed of three modules: the head, neck and tail domains. The N-terminal region harbours the motor unit, which uses ATP to power movement along the actin filaments. By interacting with specific proteins and ‘cargoes’ the tail is responsible for the myosin’s specific function and location. In particular, the presence of an SH3 domain in the tail region is important for linking these myosin I molecules with the endocytic machinery and the Arp2/3 complex. Protistan class I myosins are able to recruit the Arp2/3 complex towards the CARMIL adapter protein and Acan125. These homologous adapters consist of multiple, leucine-rich repeat sequences and bear two carboxyl-terminal polyproline motifs

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that are ligands for the myosin I SH3 domains. CARMIL has been shown to bind the Arp2/3 complex via an acidic motif similar to those found in WASP. In view of the fact that E. histolytica does not have WASP homologues, the discovery of a CARMIL homologue through proteomic analysis of E. histolytica phagosomes (Marion et al., 2005) provides an important clue for understanding actin nucleation in E. histolytica. Interestingly, myosin IB in E. histolytica plays a structural role in the actin network due to its ability to cross-link filaments (Marion et al., 2004). The cytoskeletal structuring activity of myosin IB regulates the gelation state of cell cytoplasm and the dynamics of cortical F-actin during phagocytosis. The most-studied myosin has been the conventional or class II myosin. This double-headed molecule is composed of two heavy chains and two pairs of essential and regulatory light chains. The heavy chain tail consists of an a-helical, coiled coil protein able to form a parallel dimer that in turn can self-associate into bipolar, thick filaments. This enables myosin II to operate in huge filament arrays, which drive high speed motility. In addition to myosin IB, E. histolytica also has a conventional myosin II heavy chain (very closely related to its homologue in Dictyostelium), which has been reported to be involved in crucial phases of parasite motility, surface receptor capping and phagocytosis (Arhets et al., 1998). E. histolyticaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sole isoform shapes the actin network and maintains cytoskeletal integrity. Candidate genes for the regulatory and essential light chain activities were also found, and these possess the EF hand domains necessary for Ca2Ăž binding. Directional transport along the MTs depends on dynein and kinesin, both MT-associated motor proteins that convert the chemical energy from ATP hydrolysis into movement. These motors are unidirectional and move towards either the MT plus- or minus-ends (Mallik and Gross, 2004). Kinesins and dyneins have been implicated in a wide range of functionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;principally intracellular organelle transport during interphase and spindle function during mitosis and meiosis. Members of the dynein family are minus-end directed, although this remains to be confirmed for a few uncharacterised, vertebrate, cytoplasmic dynein heavy chains. It has not yet been reliably established that the E. histolytica genome contains a dynein heavy chain gene, although a dynein light chain gene is present: improvements in gene assembly should provide us with more information on this high molecular mass protein. Kinesins are microtubule-dependent molecular motors that play important roles in intracellular transport and cell division. Even though the motor domain is found within the N-terminus in most kinesins (N-type), it is located within the middle or C-terminal domains in some members of the family (M-type and C-type kinesins, respectively) (Asbury, 2005). The position of the motor domain dictates the polarity of the movement of kinesin along the MT: whereas N- and M-type kinesins

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are plus-end directed, the C-type kinesins are minus-end directed. Humans possess 31 different kinesins and trypanosomes have more than 40. The E. histolytica genome sequence predicts only six kinesin-encoding genes (four N-type, two C-type and no M-type homologues have been found). One of the N-kinesins also contains a domain homologous to the HOOK protein required for the correct positioning of microtubular structures within the cell (Walenta et al., 2001). Considering that E. histolytica MTs are intranuclear, the study of kinesin function and trafficking should help elucidate what is likely to be a very interesting MT functional mechanism.

6. VESICULAR TRAFFIC The requirement for nutritional uptake from the extracellular milieu in the host intestine imposes a heavy reliance on endocytic and phagocytic activities in Entamoeba (Espinosa-Cantellano and MartÄąÂ´nez-Palomo, 2000). Proliferating trophozoites secrete a number of peptides and proteins including cysteine proteases (Que and Reed, 2000) and amoebapores (Leippe, 1999) required for bacterial cell killing and degradation as well as being implicated in virulence (Petri, 2002). During encystation, the cells also secrete substrates used for the formation of the cyst wall (Eichinger, 1997). Electron micrographic studies have revealed a complex membrane organisation. The trophozoites contain numerous vesicles and vacuoles varying in size and shape (Clark et al., 2000; Mazzuco et al., 1997). Intracellular transport of both endocytosed and synthesised molecules between compartments is regulated by the elaborate orchestration of vesicle formation, transport, docking and fusion to the target compartment (Bonifacino and Glick, 2004; Kirchhausen, 2000). More detail is given in the supplementary tables for this section.

6.1. Complexity of vesicle trafficking Among a number of molecules and structures involved in vesicular trafficking, three types of coated vesicles, named coatomer protein (COP) I, COPII, and clathrin-coated vesicles are the best characterised (Bonifacino and Glick, 2004; Kirchhausen, 2000). COPI vesicles primarily mediate transport from the Golgi to the ER and between the Golgi cisternae, while COPII vesicles are involved in the transport from the ER to the cis-Golgi. The clathrin-dependent pathway has a few independent routes: from the plasma membrane to endosomes, from the Golgi to endosomes and from endosomes to the Golgi. It has been well established that certain subfamilies of Ras-like small GTPases, widely conserved among eukaryotes, regulate both the formation of transport vesicles and their docking and fusion to the target organelles. The ARF and secretion-associated

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Ras-related protein (Sar) families of GTPases regulate the formation of COPI and COPII vesicles (Memon, 2004), respectively. In contrast, the Rab family of GTPases (Novick and Zerial, 1997) is involved in the targeting and fusion of vesicles to the acceptor organelles together with the tethering machinery SNARE (a soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) (Chen and Scheller, 2001). Since individual coat proteins, small GTPases, SNAREs and their associated proteins show distinct intracellular distributions in both unicellular and multicellular organisms, they are believed to play a critical role in the determination of membrane trafficking specificity (Chen and Scheller, 2001; Munro, 2004; Novick and Zerial, 1997). It is generally believed that the total number of proteins involved in the membrane traffic reflects the complexity and multiplicity of its organism. The total number of the putative amoebic genes encoding Arf/Sar, Rab, SNARE, and coat proteins together with those from S. cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Homo sapiens and A. thaliana, is shown in Table 2.7. E. histolytica reveals complexity similar to yeast, fly and worm in the case of Sar/Arf and SNAREs, while the number of genes encoding three coat proteins [COPI, COPII and adapter proteins (APs)] was higher in E. histolytica than these organisms and comparable to that in mammals and plants. In contrast, the number of Rab proteins in E. histolytica is exceptionally high, exceeding that in mammals and plants.

6.2. Proteins involved in vesicle formation 6.2.1. COPII-coated vesicles and Sar1 GTPase COPII components were originally discovered in yeast using genetic and biochemical approaches (reviewed in Bonifacino and Glick, 2004). COPII vesicles mediate the transport from the ER to the Golgi and consists of three major cytosolic components and a total of five essential proteins: the Sec23p–Sec24p complex, the Sec13p–Sec31p complex and the small GTPase Sar1p (Barlowe et al., 1994). Sar1p and Sec23p–Sec24p complex are involved in the formation of the membrane–proximal layer of the coat, while Sec13p–Sec31p complex mediates the formation of the second membrane–distal layer (Shaywitz et al., 1997). These proteins are well conserved among various organisms (Table 2.7). E. histolytica encodes one each of Sar1, Sec13 and Sec31, 2 of Sec23 and 5 proteins corresponding to Sec24 (Table 2.7). The yeast and human genomes also encode multiple Sec24 isotypes (3 and 4, respectively). Although Sec24 isotypes have been shown to be responsible for the selection of transmembrane cargo proteins in yeast (Peng et al., 2000; Roberg et al., 1999), the significance of the Sec24 redundancy in E. histolytica is not clear. Additional regulatory proteins participate in COPII assembly in yeast, including Sec16p, a putative scaffold protein (Espenshade et al., 1995), and Sec12p, a GEF

TABLE 2.7 The number of genes encoding representative proteins involved in vesicular trafficking in E. histolytica Protein

E. histolytica

S. cerevisiae

C. elegans

D. melanogaster

H. sapiens

A. thaliana

References

Sar1 COPII Arf COPI AP-1 AP-2 AP-3 AP-4 AP total Rab Qa Qb Qc R SNARE total NSF SNAP Sec1

1 9 10 11

1 6 6 7 5 4 4 0 13 11 7 6 8 5 24 1 1 4

1 5 11 7 7 5 4 0 16 29 9 7 4 6 23 1 1 6

1 4 11 7 5 5 4 0 14 29 7 5 5 5 20 2 3 5

2 9 27 9 8 5 7 4 24 60 12 9 8 9 35 1 1 7

4 12 17 9 9 6 4 4 23 57 18 11 8 14 54 1 3 6

1,2 1 3 1

18 91 8 10(b Ăž c) 10 28 1 1 5

1 1,4

1,5,6 1,7 8

References: (1): Bock et al. (2001); (2): Wennerberg et al. (2005); (3): Kahn et al. (2006); (4): Pereira-Leal and Seabra (2001); (5): Burri and Lithgow (2004); (6): Uemura et al. (2004); (7): Sanderfoot et al. (2000); (8): Boehm et al. (2001).

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for Sar1p (Barlowe and Schekman, 1993). Homologues of Sec12p and Sec16p appear to be absent in E. histolytica. The p24 protein is a nonessential component of vesicle formation (Springer et al., 2000), and in yeast it functions as a cargo adaptor through binding to Sec23p (Kaiser, 2000; Schimmoller et al., 1995). E. histolytica encodes four p24 proteins, fewer than in yeast and humans, which have eight. GAP Sec23p is also present in E. histolytica; this activates the intrinsic GTPase activity of Sar1p after the formation of COPII vesicle and inactivates the function of Sar1p (Yoshihisa et al., 1993), resulting in the uncoating of COPII vesicles.

6.2.2. COPI-coated vesicles and Arf GTPases COPI-coated vesicles, which mediate transport from the Golgi to the ER and between the Golgi cisternae (Kirchhausen, 2000), consist of seven proteins (a, b, b0 , g, d, e and z-COP) (Hara-Kuge et al., 1994). The number of proteins making up the COPI coat, and thus the complexity of COPI components, varies among organisms (Table 2.7). While human possesses two isotypes of g-COP and z-COP, yeast has a single gene for each. In humans, the two isotypes of g-COP and z-COP form three different COPI complexes (g1/z1, g1/z2 and g2/z1), which have different intracellular distributions (Wegmann et al., 2004). This implies that COPI-coated vesicles are also involved in functions other than Golgi-to-ER transport (Whitney et al., 1995). In E. histolytica, the COPI complex appears more heterogeneous: E. histolytica encodes two isotypes each of g-COP, d-COP and a-COP and three isotypes of b-COP. In contrast, E. histolytica lacks E-COP, which is known to stabilise a-COP (Duden et al., 1998). It has been shown in yeast that all genes encoding components of COPI coat except for Sec28p, the yeast e-COP homologue, are essential for growth (Duden et al., 1998). Recruitment of COPI to the Golgi membrane requires the association of a GTP-bound GTPase called Arf (Donaldson et al., 1992; Kahn et al., 2006). Arf was initially identified because of its ability to stimulate the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of cholera toxin A (Kahn and Gilman, 1984). To recruit the COPI coat, Arfs are activated by a Sec7 domaincontaining protein, Arf-GEF, which is a target of a fungal metabolite brefeldin A (Helms and Rothman, 1992; Sata et al., 1998). Among Arf family proteins, Arf1 is involved in the formation of COPI-coated vesicles in the retrograde transport from the Golgi to ER, and is also involved in the assembly of clathrin-AP1 (see next section) on the trans-Golgi network (TGN) (Stamnes and Rothman, 1993), clathrin-AP3 on endosomes (Ooi et al., 1998) and the recruitment of AP-4 to the TGN (Boehm et al., 2001). The specific roles of Arfs3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5 are less clear, although Arf4 and Arf5 show in vitro activities similar to Arf1. Functional cooperativity of Arfs in the vesicular formation has also been demonstrated recently. At least two of four human Arf isotypes (Arf1, Arf3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5) are essential for a retrograde

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pathway from the Golgi to the ER, in the secretory pathway from the Golgi to the TGN and in the recycling from endosomes to the plasma membrane (Volpicelli-Daley et al., 2005). In contrast to these Arfs, Arf6 regulates the assembly of actin filaments and is involved in endocytosis on the plasma membrane (Radhakrishna and Donaldson, 1997). GTPases that share significant similarity to Arf but do not either activate cholera toxin A or rescue S. cerevisiae Arf mutants are known as Arls (Arf-like GTPases) (Lee et al., 1997a). Arl1 is involved in endosometo-Golgi trafficking (Lu et al., 2001, 2004). Other Arls (Arls 2–11) and Arfrelated proteins (Arp or ArfRP 1–2) have been localised to the cytosol, nucleus, cytoskeleton and mitochondria (Burd et al., 2004; Pasqualato et al., 2002). The number of Arf, Arl and Arf-related proteins varies among organisms (Table 2.7). Among 27 members identified in humans, only about a half dozen Arf/Arl/Arp proteins, including Arf1–6 and Arl1 (Wennerberg et al., 2005), have been shown to function in membrane traffic (Lu et al., 2001). The localisation and function of the remaining Arf/Arl/Arp remains unclear. E. histolytica encodes 10 Arf/Arl proteins (Table 2.7). Only 2 E. histolytica Arfs (A1 and A2) have a high percentage identity to human Arfs 1, 3, 5 and 6 and yeast Arfs 1–3 (57–76% identity), while the remaining 8 Arf/Arl fall into 3 groups (A4–6, B1–3 and C) and are equally divergent from one another and from other organisms. Both the intracellular distributions and the specific steps in vesicular trafficking mediated by these Entamoeba Arf/Arl proteins are unknown. It is worth noting that five of these Arfs lack a conserved glycine residue at the second amino acid position of the amino terminus; this glycine is known to be myristylated and essential for membrane association in other organisms (Randazzo et al., 1995). EhArfA4 also lacks one of the conserved GTP-binding consensus regions (Box2). Similar deletion of GTP-binding domains has also been observed in proteins belonging to the Rab family (see Section 6.3.1).

6.2.3. Clathrin-coated vesicle and its adaptor proteins Clathrin-coated vesicles and pits, as demonstrated by electron microscopy, are often indicative of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. However, there is no clear ultrastructural evidence for their occurrence in Entamoeba (Chavez-Munguia et al., 2000). Interestingly, heavy- but not light-chain clathrin is encoded in the genome. Since a majority of proteins, including adaptor proteins (APs, adaptins), known to be involved in the assembly of clathrin-coated vesicles are encoded in E. histolytica, the fundamental mechanisms and components of clathrin-mediated endocytosis are probably present in this organism, but are likely to be divergent from other eukaryotes. AP is a cytosolic heterotetramer that mainly mediates the integration of membrane proteins into clathrin-coated vesicles in the secretory and endocytic pathways (Boehm and Bonifacino, 2001;

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Kirchhausen, 2000). AP is composed of two large, one medium and one small subunit (Keen, 1987). Four major types of AP complexes (AP1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4) have been identified (Boehm and Bonifacino, 2001; Nakatsu and Ohno, 2003). AP-2 (consisting of a, b2, s2 and m2) mediates endocytosis from the plasma membrane (Conner and Schmid, 2003; Motley et al., 2003), while AP-1 (g, b1, s1 and m1A) (Meyer et al., 2000), AP-3 (d, b3A s3 and m3A) (Le Borgne et al., 2001; Vowels and Payne, 1998) and AP-4 (E, b4, s4 and m4) (Aguilar et al., 2001) play a role in the Golgi-endosome, endosomallysosomal or the Golgi/lysosome sorting pathway, respectively. AP-4, which is present only in mammals and plants (Boehm and Bonifacino, 2001), was also identified in non-clathrin-coated vesicles mediating the transport from TGN to the plasma membrane or endosomes (Hirst et al., 1999). A few isotypes of AP-1 and AP-3, for example, AP-1B (g, b1, s1 and m1B) and AP-3B (d, b3B, s3 and m3B), showed tissue-specific expression (Faundez et al., 1998; Folsch et al., 1999). E. histolytica encodes 10 large subunits (a, b, g, d and E), 4 medium subunits (one each of m1 and m2 and two m3) and 4 small subunits (E1 E4). This suggests that E. histolytica produces four types of AP complex, as in humans and plants.

6.3. Proteins involved in vesicle fusion 6.3.1. Rab GTPases The docking and fusion of transport vesicles to a specific target compartment requires the appropriate Rab protein. Specific interaction of a Rab with its effector molecules in conjunction with the interaction between SNAREs plays a central role in vesicle fusion (Zerial and McBride, 2001). In general, the complexity of the Rab gene family correlates with the degree of multicellularity. For example, S. pombe, S. cerevisiae, C. elegans, D. melanogaster and H. sapiens consist of 1, 1, 103, 109 and 1013 cells, and have 7, 11, 29, 29 and 60 Rab genes, respectively (Pereira-Leal and Seabra, 2001). It has also been shown that in multicellular organisms, Rab proteins are expressed in a highly coordinated (i.e., tissue-, organ-, or developmental stage-specific) fashion (Seabra et al., 2002; Zerial and McBride, 2001). E. histolytica possesses an extremely high number of Rab genesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; 91 (Fig. 2.6). Among its 91 Rabs only 22, including EhRab1, EhRab2, EhRab5, EhRab7, EhRab8, EhRab11, EhRab21, and their isotypes showed >40% identity to Rabs from other organisms. The 69 remaining E. histolytica Rab proteins showed only moderate similarity (<40% identity) and represent unique, presumably Entamoeba-specific, Rab proteins. Approximately one-third of Rab proteins form 15 subfamilies, including Rab1, Rab2, Rab7, Rab8, Rab11 and RabC-P, each of which contains up to 9 isoforms. Interestingly, 70% of E. histolytica Rab genes contain one or more introns (Saito-Nakano et al., 2005). SNARE genes are also intron-rich whereas the Sar/Arf GTPase and the three coat protein genes have a low

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

HsRab20 , EhRabX17/AB197101* ** 40 86

99 71

HsRab23 HsRab36 HsRab29 HsRab32 HsRab38 (6) EhRabX11/AB197095 EhRabL2/AB197080** 98 EhRabL1/AB197081** HsRab24

, EhRabX36/AB197121* ** , 4* **

EhRabX10/AB19709 , EhRabX6/AB197090* ** , EhRabX7/AB197091* **

RabL EhRabX8/AB197080** , EhRabX21/AB197105* **

39 38 EhRabX26/AB197110 (3) EhRabD1/AB054580 EhRabD2/AB197065 EhRabX25/AB197109(1) EhRabA/AF030184 ,(3) 71 EhRabH/AB054586* EhRabX31/AB197115 ,(3) EhRabI1/AB054586* 96 EhRabI2/AB197069 EhRabX30/AB197114** EhRabX24/AB197108* , EhRabX5/AB197089* ** , 32 EhRabX33/AB197117* ** EhRabX20/AB197104 EhRabM3/AB197082 EhRabM2/AB197084 96 62 EhRabM1/AB197083* 64 HsRab21 ,(3) EhRab21 (EhRabE)/AB054581* EhRabX1/AB197070*** HsRab22a (5) EhRab5/AB054582 HsRab5a 32 72 ScYpt51 HsRab17 EhRabX9/AB197093 EhRabX15/AB197099 EhRabF4/AB197066 EhRabF3/AB197067 EhRabF2/AB197068 ,(3) 32 EhRabF1/AB054584** 63 ,(3) 76 EhRabF5 (EhRabG)/AB054585** ScYpt10 EhRabX22/AB197106 EhRabX23/AB197107 65 EhRab11D/AB197958 ScYpt31 51 83 HsRab11a HsRab25 (3) 56 EhRab11C/AB054588 (1) EhRab11A/AB186370(3) 57 85 EhRab11B/AB054587 EhRabX28/AB197119 EhRabN2/AB197086** 99 EhRabN1/AB197085** HsRab18 HsRab40a EhRab2C/AB197073** 45 HsRab2a HsRab14 71 HsRab4a 54 EhRab2B/AB197072** 100 EhRab2A/AB197071** HsRab39a HsRab6a 95 ScYpt6 HsRab28 , 46 EhRabX32/AB197116* ** EhRabX16/AB197100 EhRabX18/AB197102** EhRabX34/AB197118** 31 EhRabX19/AB197103 EhRabC8/AB197064 EhRabC3/AB197059 31 (3)(6) EhRabC1/AB054579 55 EhRabC4/AB197060 EhRabC7/AB197063 EhRabC6/AB197062 EhRabC5/AB197061 30 56 EhRabC2/AB186371 EhRab7H/AB186369 EhRab71/AB197056 ScYpt7 HsRab7 58 (1)(5)(6) 80 EhRab7A/AB054583 (6) EhRab7C/AB186364 (6) 94 EhRab7E/AB186366 (6) EhRab7B/AB186363 34 EhRabX2/AB197074*** EhRab7F/AB186367(6) , , EhRabX3/AB197075* ** ** , , EhRabX4/AB197076* ** ** HsRab9a (6) EhRab7D/AB186365 34 EhRab7G/AB186368 EhRabX14/AB197098 HsRab33a , EhRabX28/AB197112* ** EhRabX13/AB197097 HsRab3a HsRab10 89 HsRab8 34 HsRab13 56 ScSec4 HsRab12 30 HsRab30 70 HsRab41 HsRab35 62 EhRab1B/AB197055 ,(3)(6) 49 EhRab1A/AB054578** 76 HsRab1a 68 ScYot1 (4) 55 EhRab8/AF363067 EhRab8B/AB197057 EhRabX12/AB197096 EhRabP1/AB197087** EhRabP2/AB197088** (2) EhRabB/AF127375 HsRab27a HsRab26 37 HsRab37 84 EhRabK4/AB197120* EhRabK3/AB197078 85 EhRabK2/AB197070 71 77 EhRabK1/AB197077 98

, EhRabX27/AB197111* ** EhRabX29 , /AB197113* **

RabD RabI RabM

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frequency of introns. The high frequency of introns in the Rab and SNARE gene families may indicate the presence of post-transcriptional regulation of these genes. Although Rab proteins generally possess a CXC or CC at the carboxyl terminus, 25 E. histolytica Rabs have an atypical carboxyl terminus, such as CXXX, XCXX, XXCX, XXXC, or no cysteine at all. The enzyme(s) involved in the lipid modification of these unusual Rab proteins remain poorly understood (see Section 4.5.1.1). It is also worth noting that >20 E. histolytica Rabs lack or contain only a degenerate form of the consensus sequence for structural elements such as the GTP-binding regions and the Switch I and II regions, implicated in the binding to GEF, GAP, effectors or guanine nucleotides (Saito-Nakano et al., 2005). These nonconventional EhRabs are not pseudo-genes since at least some of the genes are known to be expressed as mRNA (Saito-Nakano et al., 2001). It has been shown that neither EhRab5 nor EhRab7A rescued the corresponding yeast mutant (Saito-Nakano et al., 2004). Therefore, many, if not all, E. histolytica Rabs may have lost functional interchangeability with their homologues in other organisms despite the relatively high percentage of sequence identities. Classification and annotation of the E. histolytica Rab proteins have been previously described (Saito-Nakano et al., 2005). One of the peculiarities of E. histolytica Rab proteins was demonstrated by the unprecedented function of EhRab7A, which plays an important role in the transport of cysteine proteases via interaction with the retromer complex. The E. histolytica retromer complex consists of three components, Vps26, Vps29 and Vps35, rather than the 4–5 found in yeast and mammals (Nakada-Tsukui et al., 2005). Homologues of Vps5, Vps17 and sorting nexins are not encoded in the genome. It has been suggested that the EhRab7A–retromer interaction, mediated by direct binding of EhRab7A to a unique carboxyl-terminal region of Vps26, regulates intracellular trafficking of cysteine proteases, and possibly other hydrolases as well, by modulating the recycling of a putative cysteine protease receptor FIGURE 2.6 A phylogenetic tree of Rab proteins from E. histolytica, human and yeast. The number on the nodes represents the bootstrap proportions (%) of 1,000 pseudo samples; only bootstrap proportions >30% are shown. E. histolytica Rab proteins are indicated in bold. Tentative subfamilies that revealed significant similarity (>40% identity) to their human or yeast counterpart are shaded dark, while Entamoeba-specific subfamilies have light shading. The scale bar indicates 0.1 substitutions at each amino acid position. *: EhRab proteins that lack the conserved effector region, switch regions or GTP-binding boxes. **: EhRab proteins that possess a non-conventional carboxylterminus or lack carboxyl-terminal cysteines. ***: Rab proteins that were not classified as isotypes based on <40% identity to other members of the subfamily. References on tree: (1): Temesvari et al. (1999); (2): Rodrı´guez et al. (2000); (3): Saito-Nakano et al. (2001); (4): Juarez et al. (2001); (5): Saito-Nakano et al. (2004); (6): Okada et al. (2005).

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from lysosomes and phagosomes to the Golgi or post-Golgi compartment (Nakada-Tsukui et al., 2005).

6.3.2. SNARE and their accessory proteins The final step in membrane trafficking is the fusion of a transport vesicle with its target membrane, which is mediated by the SNARE family of proteins. SNAREs are integral membrane proteins that are present on both donor and acceptor membranes and form a stable complex to tether the two membranes. It is believed that the formation of a SNARE complex pulls the vesicle and target membrane together and provides the energy to drive fusion of the lipid bilayers (Chen and Scheller, 2001; Chen et al., 1999). In a prototypical model, a SNARE complex, which consists of four helices, is formed at each fusion site (Hanson et al., 1997; Poirier et al., 1998). For instance, the fusion of synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic nerve terminus is mediated by the formation of a complex comprising one helix each from syntaxin 1A [Qa-SNARE, also termed target-SNARE (t-SNARE)] and VAMP2 [R-SNARE, vesicular SNARE (v-SNARE)] and two helices from SNAP-25 (Qb- and Qc-SNARE). The complexity of SNAREs has remained largely unchanged in yeast, fly and worm, but has increased remarkably in mammals and plants (Table 2.7) indicating that although expansion of SNARE repertoires occurs, a set of core SNAREs is sufficient to mediate vesicular fusion of most pathways in multicellular organisms. E. histolytica encodes 28 putative SNAREs, 18 Q-SNAREs and 10 R-SNAREs, which is comparable to the complexity in humans and plants. A notable peculiarity of SNAREs in E. histolytica is the lack of a group of proteins possessing two helices (Qb and Qc SNAREs) such as SNAP-25. Thus, the prototype model of membrane tethering by a combination of four helices (from Qa, R to Qb/Qc) does not appear to be possible in this organism. A group of proteins that interact directly with the syntaxin subfamily, including the prototypical member yeast Sec1p and mammalian Munc18, are essential cytosolic proteins peripherally associated with membranes (Toonen and Verhage, 2003). They are presumed to be chaperones, putting syntaxins into the conformations required for interaction with other SNAREs (Dulubova et al., 1999; Yang et al., 2000). Sec1/Munc-18 proteins are also conserved in E. histolytica (there are five Sec1 genes). Two additional important components involved in the recycling of fusion machinery, N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) (Beckers et al., 1989) and soluble NSF attachment protein (SNAP) (Clary et al., 1990; Mayer et al., 1996) are also found in E. histolytica. Other proteins involved in vesicle fusion are the saposin-like proteins mentioned earlier (Section 3.3). The membrane-fusogenic activity of the E. histolytica SAPLIPs may play a role in vesicle fusion (Winkelmann

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et al., 2006), but how they interface with the Rab/SNARE processes remains to be determined.

6.4. Comparisons and implications While the fundamental machinery of vesicular trafficking is conserved in E. histolytica, the high activity of the endocytic and biosynthetic transport pathways in this organism appears to have resulted in the dramatic expansion of the Rab gene repertoire. The diversity and complexity of Rab proteins present in E. histolytica likely reflect the vigorous dynamism of membrane transport and the reliance on Rab proteins for the specificity of vesicular trafficking. The high degree of Rab complexity observed in E. histolytica (91) has no precedent in other organisms, although the incomplete genome of T. vaginalis appears to encode 65 Rabs (Lal et al., 2005) while Dictyostelium encodes 50 (Eichinger et al., 2005). Rab proteins have been extensively studied in T. brucei and the recent completion of T. brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania major genomes led to identification of all Rab genes in these haemoflagellates (Ackers et al., 2005; Berriman et al., 2005; Quevillon et al., 2003). Among the 16 Rabs present in T. brucei, there are only 3 Rab proteins (RabX1-X3) that appear to be unique to kinetoplastids. T. brucei encodes 13 Rab proteins homologous to those in humans, suggesting significant conservation of the Rab-dependent core endomembrane systems in kinetoplastids. P. falciparum possesses only 11 Rab genes all of which are considered orthologues of yeast and mammalian Rabs, although Rab5a, 5b and 6 revealed unique features (Quevillon et al., 2003). Interestingly, some of these Rabs are expressed in a stage-dependent manner (Quevillon et al., 2003). The comparatively small number of Rabs in these protists reinforces the tremendous diversity and complexity of Rabs seen in E. histolytica (Table 2.7). In marked contrast to the complexity of Rab proteins in E. histolytica, the number of SNARE proteins, the other major components of vesicular fusion, is comparable to that in yeast. The apparent disparity in the number of Rab and SNARE proteins suggests one of three possibilities: (1) EhRab proteins share a single SNARE complex as an interacting partner (Huber et al., 1993; Rowe et al., 2001; Torii et al., 2004), (2) a majority of EhRabs do not require SNARE proteins for membrane fusion (Demarque et al., 2002), (3) some EhRabs are primarily involved in cellular functions other than membrane fusion, like Arl GTPases (Burd et al., 2004; Pasqualato et al., 2002). Genome-wide surveys of SNAREs in other protists are not available. The three major types of coatomer protein, which are conserved in E. histolytica, are also conserved in kinetoplastids (Berriman et al., 2005). However, in contrast to E. histolytica, T. brucei does not possess multiple isotypes of COPI and II components except for Sec24, which has two isotypes. T. cruzi encodes all four AP complexes

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while L. major and T. brucei lack AP-4 or AP-2, respectively, which suggests that the repertoire of AP complexes in kinetoplastids is variable and species-specific. Although low similarity of the E. histolytica components to either yeast or mammalian orthologues make unequivocal assignment of Entamoeba AP complexes challenging, tentative assignments have been made. It is likely that E. histolytica encodes four kinds of AP complex corresponding to APs 1–4.

6.5. Glycosylation and protein folding 6.5.1. Asparagine-linked glycan precursors

Mammals, plants, Dictyostelium and most fungi synthesise asparaginelinked glycans (N-glycans) by means of a common 14-sugar precursor dolichol-PP-Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 (Figs. 2.7 and 2.8) (Helenius and Aebi, 2004). This lipid-linked precursor is made by at least 14 glycosyltransferases, A

Saccharomyces

Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 B

Entamoeba

Man5GlcNAc2

Dol-PP

GlcNAc

Man

Glc Peptide

FIGURE 2.7 Synthesis of N-glycan precursors by S. cerevisiae (A) and E. histolytica (B). The N-glycan precursor of S. cerevisiae contains 14 sugars (Glc3Man9GlcNAc2), each of which is added by a specific enzyme. The E. histolytica N-glycan precursor contains just seven sugars (Man5GlcNAc2), as the protist is missing enzymes that add mannose and glucose in the lumen of the ER. The figure is modified from Figure 1 of Samuelson et al. (2005). Glc ¼ Glucose; GlcNAc ¼ N-acetyl glucosamine; Man ¼ Mannose.

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Mammalian N-glycans A

Entamoeba N-glycans F

Key Glc

Sialic acid

Man

Gal

GlcNAc

Fuc

FIGURE 2.8 Selected N-glycans of mammals (A–E) and Entamoeba (F–H). Precursors transferred to nascent peptide (A and F). Glycosylated products involved in N-glycan-associated QC of protein folding (B and G). Mannosidase product involved in N-glycan-associated protein degradation (mammals only) (C). Trimmed product that is building block for complex N-glycans (mammals and Entamoeba) (D). Complex N-glycans made in the Golgi (E and H). Glc ¼ Glucose; GlcNAc ¼ N-acetyl glucosamine; Man ¼ Mannose; Gal ¼ Galactose; Fuc ¼ Fucose.

which are present in the cytosolic aspect or lumen of the ER. The reducing end of the glycan contains two N-acetylglucosamines, while nine mannoses are present on three distinct arms. Three glucoses are added to the left arm, which is the same arm that is involved in the quality control (QC) of protein folding (see next section) (Trombetta and Parodi, 2003). Entamoeba is missing luminal glucosylating and mannosylating enzymes and so makes the truncated, seven-sugar N-glycan precursor dolichol-PP-Man5GlcNAc2 (Figs. 2.7 and 2.8) (Samuelson et al., 2005). Five mannoses on this N-glycan include the left arm, which is involved in the quality control of protein folding. In contrast, Entamoeba is missing the middle and the right arms, which are involved in N-glycan associated QC of protein degradation (see next section). Because Dictyostelium, which is phylogenetically related to Entamoeba, makes a complete 14-sugar N-glycan precursor, it is likely that Entamoeba has lost sets of glycosyltransferases in the ER lumen (Samuelson et al., 2005). Similarly, secondary loss of glycosyltransferases best explains the diversity of N-glycan precursors in fungi, which contain 0–14 sugars, and apicomplexa, which contain 2–10 sugars (Samuelson et al., 2005). The 14-sugar N-glycan precursor of mammals, plants, Dictyostelium and most fungi is transferred to the nascent peptide by an oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), which is composed of a catalytic peptide and six to seven non-catalytic peptides (Kelleher and Gilmore, 2006). In contrast, the Entamoeba OST contains a catalytic peptide and just three non-catalytic peptides, while other protists (e.g., Giardia and Trypanosoma) have an OST

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Proteasomal degradation

Misfolded protein Well-folded protein

3. N-glycanindependent ERAD

Ufd1

RNAse

4. Ire1

kinase

Npl4 Cdc48 Sec61/Der1

DnaJ 2. N-glycanindependent QC of folding

PPIase

Man5

BiP

UGGT

PDI Grp94

Gls2 Man5Glc Man5 ERGIC-53

CRT

PDI

Transport to Golgi 1. N-glycan-dependent QC of protein folding

FIGURE 2.9 Model of quality control of protein folding in Entamoeba. 1. N-glycan-dependent QC of protein folding. 2. N-glycan-independent QC of protein folding. 3. N-glycan-independent ERAD. 4. Ire1 and unfolded protein response (see text for details).

with a single catalytic peptide. This reduced complexity does not likely affect the site of N-glycan addition to the nascent peptides, which is NxS or NxT (the so-called sequon) (Kornfeld and Kornfeld, 1985).

6.5.2. N-glycans and quality control of protein folding Protein folding in the lumen of the ER is a complex process that involves N-glycan-dependent and N-glycan-independent QC systems (Helenius and Aebi, 2004; Trombetta and Parodi, 2003). Entamoeba has four of five systems present in higher eukaryotes for protein folding (Fig. 2.9). 1. Entamoeba has the minimum component parts for N-glycandependent QC of protein folding (Helenius and Aebi, 2004; Trombetta and Parodi, 2003). These include a UDP-glucose-dependent glucosyltransferase (UGGT), which adds a single glucose to the

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left arm of the N-glycans of misfolded proteins and so forms GlcMan5GlcNAc2 (Fig. 2.7). The glucosylated N-glycan is then bound and refolded by the lectin calreticulin (CRT), which is a chaperone that works with a protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) to make and break disulphide bonds. A glucosidase (Gls2) removes glucose from the wellfolded protein, which is transferred to the Golgi by a mannose-binding lectin (ERGIC-53). The Entamoeba system is similar to that of mammals and fungi, which add glucose to the Man9GlcNAc2 precursor to make GlcMan9GlcNAc2 (Fig. 2.7). Mammals have a second glucosidase to remove glucose from the Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 precursor (Fig. 2.7). 2. Entamoeba has N-glycan-independent QC of protein folding within the lumen of the ER, which includes the chaperones Hsp70 and Hsp90 (also known as BiP and Grp94, respectively) (Fig. 2.9) (Helenius and Aebi, 2004; Trombetta and Parodi, 2003). Also involved in this QC system are PDIs; DnaJ proteins that increase the ATPase activity of Hsp70 and Hsp90; and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases (PPIases). This N-glycan-independent QC system for protein folding is present in all eukaryotes (S. Banerjee, J. Cui, P. W. Robbins, and J. Samuelson, unpublished data). 3. Entamoeba and all other eukaryotes have a N-glycan-independent system for ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of misfolded proteins (Fig. 2.9) (Hirsch et al., 2004). This system is composed of proteins (Sec61 and Der1) that dislocate misfolded proteins from the ER lumen to the cytosol. There a complex of proteins (Cdc48, Npl4 and Ufd1) ubiquinate misfolded proteins, which are then degraded in the proteasome. In contrast, Entamoeba and the vast majority of eukaryotes are missing an N-glycan-dependent system of ERAD of misfolded proteins (Helenius and Aebi, 2004; Trombetta and Parodi, 2003). In this system, the middle arm of Man9GlcNAc2 is trimmed to Man8GlcNAc2, which is recognised by a unique mannose-binding lectin (EDEM) before dislocation into the cytosol for degradation (Fig. 2.9). 4. Entamoeba has a transmembrane kinase (Ire1) which recognises misfolded proteins in the lumen of the ER and triggers the unfolded protein response (Fig. 2.9) (Patil and Walter, 2001). The Entamoeba unfolded protein response is likely to be different from those of mammals and fungi, because Entamoeba is missing an important downstream target, which is a transcription factor called Hac1.

6.5.3. Unique N-glycans Mammals make complex N-glycans in the Golgi by trimming back the precursor to Man3GlcNAc2 and then adding N-acetyl glucosamine, galactose, sialic acid and fucose (Fig. 2.8) (Hubbard and Ivatt, 1981). In each case, the activated sugars (UDP-GlcNAc, UDP-Gal, CMP-sialic acid and

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GDP-fucose) are transferred from the cytosol to the lumen of the Golgi by a specific nucleotide-sugar transporter (NST) (Hirschberg et al., 1998). In turn, each activated sugar is added to the N-glycans by a specific glycosyltransferase. Entamoeba N-glycans are remarkable for two properties. First, the most abundant N-glycan is unprocessed Man5GlcNAc2 (Fig. 2.7) (P. E. Magnelli, D. M. Ratner, P. W. Robbins and J. Samuelson, unpublished data). This N-glycan is recognised by the mannose-binding lectin Concanavalin A, which caps glycoproteins on the Entamoeba surface (Silva et al., 1975). Unprocessed Man5GlcNAc2 is also recognised by the anti-retroviral lectin cyanovirin, which binds Man9GlcNAc2 on the surface of gp120 (Adams et al., 2004). This result suggests the possibility that the anti-retroviral lectin may be active against numerous protists. Second, complex N-glycans of Entamoeba, which are built upon the same Man3GlcNAc2 core as higher eukaryotes, contain just two additional sugars (galactose and glucose) (Fig. 2.9, D and H) (P. E. Magnelli, D. M. Ratner, P. W. Robbins and J. Samuelson, unpublished data). Galactose is added first to both arms of Man3GlcNAc2 and then glucose is added to galactose. To make these complex N-glycans, Entamoeba has NSTs for glucose (UDP-Glc) and galactose (UDP-Gal) (Bredeston et al., 2005). Glucose is also transferred to N-glycans during the QC of protein folding in the ER, while both galactose and glucose are transferred to proteophosphoglycans (PPGs) (see next section) (Moody-Haupt et al., 2000). Because the complex N-glycans of Entamoeba are unique, it is possible that they may be targets of anti-amoebic antibodies.

6.5.4. O-glycans and GPI anchors

The surface of E. histolytica trophozoites is rich in glycoconjugates as shown by the ability of many lectins and carbohydrate-specific antibodies to recognise the cell surface (Srivastava et al., 1995; Zhang et al., 2002). Proteophosphoglycans constitute the major glycoconjugate of the E. histolytica cell surface. PPG is anchored to the cell surface through a GPI moiety (Bhattacharya et al., 1992). The structure of the PPG GPI has been tentatively determined (Moody-Haupt et al., 2000). In most eukaryotes, PI is glycosidically linked to the reducing end of de-acetylated glucosamine followed by three mannoses that are in turn attached to the ethanolamine that links the protein to the GPI. However, the GPI anchor of E. histolytica PPG was found to have a unique backbone that is not observed in other eukaryotes, namely Gal-Man-Man-GlcN-myo-inositol. The intermediate and light subunits of the E. histolytica Gal/GalNAc lectin, among other cell surface molecules, are anchored to the cell surface through GPI anchors. Though the structure of the GPI anchors is not known, they are thought to be functionally important (Ramakrishnan et al., 2000).

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In humans, 23 genes are known to participate in the biosynthesis of GPI anchors. However, only 15 of these were identified in E. histolytica (Vats et al., 2005). Interestingly, all the catalytic subunits were identified in E. histolytica, the missing genes encoding the accessory subunits suggesting that the biosynthetic pathway may not be significantly different from that in other eukaryotes. The presence of the pathway was also confirmed by detecting the biochemical activities of the first two enzymesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;N-acetyl glucosamine transferase and deacetylase. In addition, antisense inhibition of the deacetylase blocked GPI anchor biosynthesis and reduced virulence of the parasite (Vats et al., 2005). A novel GIPL (glycosylated inositol phospholipid) was also identified in E. histolytica (Vishwakarma et al., 2006). Structural studies indicate that a galactose residue is attached to glucosamine as the terminal sugar instead of mannose. This suggests that E. histolytica is capable of synthesising unusual GPI-containing glycoconjugates not observed in other organisms. In PPG, glycans are attached to a peptide backbone by an O-phosphodiester-linkage (O-P glycans). The E. histolytica O-P-glycans have galactose at the reducing end followed by a chain of glucoses. E. invadens also has O-P-glycans on its cyst wall proteins but the reducing sugar is a deoxysugar rather than galactose (Van Dellen et al., 2006b). While Dictyostelium has also O-P-glycans on glycoproteins in its spore wall, glycoproteins with O-P-glycans are absent from the vast majority of animals and plants (West, 2003).

6.5.5. Significance

The unique glycans of Entamoeba lead to three important evolutionary inferences. First, much of the diversity of eukaryotic N-glycans is due to secondary loss of enzymes that make the 14-sugar lipid-linked precursor, which was present in the common ancestor to extant eukaryotes. Despite the truncated N-glycan precursor, Entamoeba has conserved the relatively complex N-glycan-dependent QC system for protein folding. Third, the unique N-glycans and O-P-linked glycans are based on a novel set of glycosyltransferases, which are present in Entamoeba and remain to be characterised biochemically.

7. PROTEINS INVOLVED IN SIGNALLING 7.1. Phosphatases The combined actions of protein kinases and phosphatases regulate many cellular activities through reversible phosphorylation of proteins. These activities include such basic functions as growth, motility and metabolism. Although it was once assumed that kinases played the major regulatory

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role, it is now clear that phosphatases can also be critical participants in some cellular events (Li and Dixon, 2000). There are few publications on the role of phosphatases in E. histolytica; however, several investigators have established a role for phosphatases in proliferation and growth. Chaudhuri et al. (1999) observed that there was an increase in phosphotyrosine levels in serum starved, growth inhibited, E. histolytica cultures. Upon the addition of serum and subsequent growth simulation, an increase in tyrosine phosphatase activity occurred. These investigators also demonstrated that genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, had no effect on growth, while the addition of sodium orthovanadate, a phosphatase inhibitor, produced a major decrease in cell proliferation. Membranebound and secreted acid phosphatase activities have been detected in E. histolytica (Aguirre-Garcia et al., 1997; Anaya-Ruiz et al., 1997). The secreted acid phosphatase activity is absent from E. dispar (TalamasRohana et al., 1999). This secreted acid phosphatase was found to have phosphotyrosine hydrolase activity, and caused cell rounding and detachment of HeLa cells (Anaya-Ruiz et al., 2003), suggesting that phosphatase activity contributes to the virulence of the organism. There are four families of phosphatases (Stark, 1996). Members of the PPP (protein phosphatase P) family are serine/threonine phosphatases and include PP1, PP2A and PP2B (calcineurin-like) classes. The PPM (protein phosphatase M) family phosphatases also dephosphorylate serine/threonine residues but are unrelated to the PPP family proteins. A third family consists of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTP) and dual phosphatases. Low molecular weight phosphatases make up the fourth family. In eukaryotic cells, greater than 99% of protein phosphorylation is on serine or threonine residues (Chinkers, 2001). Human cells have about 500 serine/threonine phosphatases and 100 tyrosine phosphatases (Hooft van Huijsduijnen, 1998; Hunter, 1995). S. cerevisiae has 31 identified or putative protein phosphatases (Stark, 1996). E. histolytica has over 100 putative protein phosphatases. Only a few of these phosphatases have potential transmembrane domains. Some E. histolytica phosphatases have varying numbers of LRRs. The LRR domain is thought to be a site for proteinâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;protein interactions (Hsiung et al., 2001; Kobe and Deisenhofer, 1994). LRR domains have been found in a few kinases, but had not been identified in any phosphatases until recently (Gao et al., 2005).

7.1.1. Serine/threonine protein phosphatases Members of the PPP family of protein phosphatases are closely related metalloenzymes, and complex with regulatory subunits. In contrast, PPM family members are generally monomeric, ranging 42â&#x20AC;&#x201C;61 kDa in size. By BLAST analysis, the serine/threonine protein phosphatases of E. histolytica are most closely related to PPP phosphatases PP2A, PP2B and PPM phosphatase PP2C.

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7.1.1.1. PP2A and PP2B (Calcineurin-like) serine/threonine phosphatases PP2A phosphatases are trimeric enzymes consisting of catalytic, regulatory and variable subunits (Wera and Hemmings, 1995). Calcineurin is a calcium-dependent protein serine/threonine phosphatase (Rusnak and Mertz, 2000). Orthologues of calcineurin are widespread from yeast to mammalian cells. Calcineurin is a heterodimeric complex with catalytic (CaNA) and regulatory (CaNB) subunits. CaNA ranges in size from 58 to 64 kDa. Its conserved domain structure includes a catalytic domain, a CaNB-binding domain, a calmodulin binding domain and an autoinhibitory (AI) domain. The binding of CaNB and calmodulin activates CaNA. CaNB subunit is 19 kDa, contains 4 EF hand calcium binding motifs, and has similarity to calmodulin. The binding of calmodulin releases the auto-inhibitory domain and results in activation of the phosphatase. Deletion of the AI domain results in a constitutively active protein. Calcineurin is specifically inhibited by cyclosporin A and FK506. Cyclosporin A and FK506 first bind to specific proteins, cyclophilin A and FK506BP, respectively, then bind to CaNA at the CaNB binding site. Cyclophilin A has been identified in E. histolytica and treatment with cyclosporin A decreases growth and viability (Carrero et al., 2000, 2004; Ostoa-Saloma et al., 2000). The E. histolytica genome has 51 PP2A and calcineurin-like protein phosphatases. The Pfam motif that classifies proteins as PPP phosphatases is Metallophos (PF00149, calcineurin-like phosphoesterase). This motif is also found in a large number of proteins involved in phosphorylation, including DNA polymerase, exonucleases and other phosphatases. The genome annotation identifies three loci as CaNA orthologues. However, due to the similarity among this family of phosphatases, it is difficult to tell by sequence analyses alone those that are calciumdependent. Identification of CaNA will have to be confirmed experimentally. Two of the PPM phosphatases contain a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain (PF00515). TPR is thought to be involved in protein–protein interactions (Das et al., 1998). Activities that have been ascribed to TPR include regulatory roles, lipid binding and auto-inhibition. 7.1.1.2. PP2C phosphatases PP2C phosphatases are also widespread and are often involved in terminating/attenuating phosphorylation during the cell cycle or in response to environmental stresses such as osmotic and heat shock (Kennelly, 2001). Thirty-five genes were identified as PP2C phosphatases. These proteins can be divided into three broad categories: (1) PP2C domain only small (235–381 amino acids), (2) PP2C domain only large (608–959 amino acids) and (3) PP2C with LRR domains.

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7.1.2. Tyrosine phosphatases (PTP) Tyrosine phosphorylation-dephosphorylation is a key regulatory mechanism for many aspects of cell biology and development (Li and Dixon, 2000). PTPs are a large class of enzymes that have catalytic domains of 300 amino acids. Forty of these residues are highly conserved (Hooft van Huijsduijnen, 1998). PTPs can be divided into membrane (receptor) and non-membrane (soluble) PTPs (Li and Dixon, 2000). The soluble PTP group includes those that contain conserved SH2, PEST, Ezrin, PDZ or CH2 domains. Two other classes of PTPs are the low molecular weight and dual phosphatases. S. cerevisiae lacks classic PTPs but does contain dual phosphatases such as the MAP kinase kinases. E. histolytica has only four potential PTPs, none of which are receptor PTPs (i.e., PTPs with recognisable transmembrane spanning regions). Two of the PTPs (XM_650778, XM_645883) are 350 and 342 amino acids in length and share 48% identity. Neither of these phosphatases has any other recognisable conserved domain. Non-receptor type 1 PTPs are the closest match to these proteins (Li and Dixon, 2000). Membrane and secreted forms of a PTP that cross-react with anti-human PTP1B have been reported in E. histolytica (Aguirre-Garcı´a et al., 2003; TalamasRohana et al., 1999). Both forms have an apparent molecular weight of 55 kDa and disrupt host actin stress fibres. However, since none of the putative PTPs identified by the genome project appear to encode secreted or membrane forms, it is unlikely that these loci represent these previously reported PTP1B cross-reacting proteins. A third PTP contains a protein tyrosine phosphatase like protein (PTPLA) domain (PF04387). The PTPLA domain is related to the catalytic domains of tyrosine kinases, but it has an arginine for proline substitution at the active site (Uwanogho et al., 1999). It is not yet clear whether this family of proteins actually has phosphatase activity or serves some other regulatory role. An orthologue of a low molecular weight PTP has also been identified. Low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatases have been found in bacteria, yeasts and mammalian cells (Ramponi and Stefani, 1997). They are not similar to other PTPs except in the conserved catalytic domain.

7.1.3. Dual-specificity protein phosphatases Dual-specificity PTPs (DSP) can hydrolyse both tyrosine and serine/ threonine residues, though they hydrolyse phosphorylated tyrosine substrates 40–500-fold faster (Zhang and VanEtten, 1991). In other organisms, DSPs are mostly found in the nucleus and have roles in cell cycle control, nuclear dephosphorylation and inactivation of MAP kinase. The E. histolytica genome has 23 sequences related to DSPs. They fall into three main subclasses: those with the DSP domain only, those with

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DSP plus a variable number (one to five) of LRRs and those with the Rhodanese homology domain (RHOD; IPR001763). Rhodanese is a sulphurtransferase involved in cyanide detoxification. Its active site, RHOD, is also found in the catalytic site of the dual-specificity phosphatase CDC25 (Bordo and Bork, 2002).

7.1.4. Leucine rich repeats LRRs are tandem arrays of 20–29 amino acid, leucine-rich motifs. LRRs have been found in a number of proteins with varied functions including enzyme inhibition, regulation of gene expression, morphology and cytoskeleton formation (Kobe and Deisenhofer, 1994). LRRs are thought to provide versatile sites for protein–protein interactions and have been found linked to a variety of secondary domains. Most LRRs form curved horseshoe-shaped structures with ‘‘a parallel b sheet on the concave side and mostly helical elements on the convex side’’ (IPR001611). The LRR_1 Pfam is the second most abundant Pfam domain found in the E. histolytica genome (Table 2.3). The LRR motifs in E. histolytica most closely resemble the LRR found in BspA (Section 2.7; Davis et al., 2006). Several E. histolytica proteins that contain LRRs are associated with other recognised domains. These include the protein phosphatases PP2C and DSP, as well as protein kinase (PK), F-box (PF00646), gelsolin/villin headpiece (IPR007122), DNA J (IPR001623), Band 41 (B41;IPR000299), WD-40 (IPR001680) and zinc binding (IPR000967) domains. The association of LRRs with phosphatases is unusual. One published example is the phosphatase that dephosphorylates the kinase Akt (Gao et al., 2005). Fungal adenylate cyclases have both LRR and PP2C-like domains, but this is not a widespread feature of adenylate cyclases in other species (Mallet et al., 2000; Yamawaki-Kataoka et al., 1989). The LRR may be a site for interaction with phosphorylated residues in E. histolytica. This speculation is supported by the example of the Grr1 protein of yeast, which contains an F-box and an LRR (Hsiung et al., 2001). Grr1 is involved in ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. The LRR domain of Grr1 binds to phosphorylated targets in the proteasome complex. Another example is the fission yeast phosphatase regulatory subunit, Sds22, which also has LRRs (MacKelvie et al., 1995). The LRR containing phosphatases of E. histolytica may represent fusions of regulatory and catalytic subunits.

7.2. Kinases 7.2.1. Cytosolic kinases Eukaryotic protein kinases are a superfamily of enzymes which are important for signal transduction and cell-cycle regulation. Six families of serine/threonine kinases (STKs), which include AGC, Ste, CK1, CaMK, CMGC and TKL (tyrosine kinase-like), have conserved aspartic acid

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and lysine amino acids in their active sites and phosphorylate serine or threonine on target proteins (Hanks and Hunter, 1995). Tyrosine kinases (TKs), which lack active site lysine, phosphorylate tyrosine on target proteins. Phosphorylated tyrosine is in turn recognised by Src-homology 2 (SH2) domains that are present on some kinases and other proteins. All seven families of protein kinases are present in metazoa and in D. discoideum, while plants lack TK, and S. cerevisiae lacks both TK and TKL. Over 150 predicted E. histolytica cytosolic kinases, those that lack signal peptides and trans-membrane helices, can be identified, including representatives of each of the 7 groups of kinases (AGC, CAMK, CK1, CMGC, STE, TKL and TK) (Loftus et al., 2005). Two predicted E. histolytica TKs, which group with human TKs in phylogenetic trees, contain an AAR peptide in the active site and a Kelch domain at the C-terminus (Gu and Gu, 2003). Four cytosolic protein kinases contain C-terminal SH2 domains, which bind phosphorylated tyrosine residues. Phosphotyrosine has been identified in E. histolytica using specific antibodies (HernandezRamirez et al., 2000). The 35 predicted cytosolic E. histolytica TKLs include some that contain LRRs and ankyrin repeats at their N-termini. In contrast, the vast majority of Entamoeba cytosolic kinases lack accessory domains.

7.2.2. Receptor kinases Five distinct families of eukaryotic proteins have an N-terminal ectoplasmic domain, a single TMH and a C-terminal cytoplasmic kinase domain (Blume-Jensen and Hunter, 2001). Ire-1 transmembrane kinases, which are present in S. cerevisiae, plants and metazoa, detect unfolded proteins in the lumen of the ER and help splice a transcription factor mRNA by means of a unique C-terminal ribonuclease (Patil and Walter, 2001). Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), which include growth hormone and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors, are restricted to metazoa and have a diverse set of N-terminal ectoplasmic domains and a conserved C-terminal cytosolic TK (Schlessinger, 2000). Receptor serine/ threonine kinases (RSK) of metazoa and receptor-like kinases (RLKs) of plants each contain a C-terminal TKL domain (Massague et al., 2000; McCarty and Chory, 2000; Shiu and Bleecker, 2001). Phylogenetic analyses suggest that plant RLKs, animal RSKs and animal RTKs each form monophyletic groups and that plant RLKs closely resemble cytosolic TKLs of animals called Pelle or IRAK (Shiu and Bleecker, 2001). E. histolytica contains >80 novel receptor RSKs, each of which has a N-terminal signal sequence, a conserved ectoplasmic domain, a single TMH and a cytosolic kinase domain (Beck et al., 2005). The largest group of E. histolytica RSKs has a CXXC-rich ectoplasmic domain with 6â&#x20AC;&#x201C;31 internal repeats that each contains 4â&#x20AC;&#x201C;6 cysteine residues (Fig. 2.10). Very similar CXXC-rich domains are present in the ectoplasmic domain

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FIGURE 2.10 Structure of cysteine-rich plasma membrane proteins of E. histolytica. These proteins include the various subunits of the Gal/GalNAc lectin, a cysteine protease and numerous receptor kinases. Ire1, which is involved in the unfolded protein response, is also a receptor kinase but has no Cys-rich domain.

intermediate subunit of the Gal/GalNAc lectin (see Section 3.1.3). CXXCrich domains are also present in hypothetical secreted proteins of E. histolytica, while cysteine-rich domains are also present in the heavy subunit of the Gal/GalNAc lectin and at the cytosolic aspect of some cysteine proteases (Fig. 2.10). Ectoplasmic domains of other large families of Entamoeba RSKs have one or two 6-Cys domains at the N-terminus and four 6-Cys domains proximal to the plasma membrane. There are no plasma membrane proteins or secreted proteins with similar domains. A minority of RSKs do not contain Cys-rich ectoplasmic domains. Numerous Entamoeba RSKs are expressed at the same time, but the specific ligands for the Entamoeba RSKs have not been identified (Beck et al., 2005). As discussed in the section on protein folding (Section 6.5.2), Entamoeba has an Ire1 transmembrane kinase, which recognises misfolded proteins in the lumen of the ER and triggers the unfolded protein response (Fig. 2.8).

7.2.3. Significance

While most protists lack TK, TKL, receptor-kinases and Ire1 E. histolytica has all four. It is very likely that the E. histolytica receptor kinases, which are extensively duplicated, will have important roles in pathogenesis (Beck et al., 2005; Okada et al., 2005). Similarly, trimeric G-proteins and

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the associated adenyl-cyclases likely have important roles in cyst formation and virulence (Coppi et al., 2002; Frederick and Eichinger, 2004).

7.3. Calcium binding proteins Ca2þsignalling plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of many protozoan parasites, including E. histolytica (Ravdin et al., 1985). Many of the calciummediated processes are carried out with the help of calcium binding proteins (CaBPs). CaBPs have been identified and characterised in almost all eukaryotic systems. Some of these, such as calmodulin (CaM) and troponin C, have been studied extensively. A number of CaBPs have also been identified in E. histolytica. Among these are two related EF-hand containing proteins, grainin 1 and granin 2, which are likely to be localised in intracellular granules (Nickel et al., 2000). Another protein, URE3-BP, was shown to have a transcription regulatory function (Gilchrist et al., 2001). The CaM-dependent secretion of collagenases from electron dense granules has been demonstrated using E. histolytica lysate. However, there is as yet no direct molecular evidence for the presence of CaM in E. histolytica (de Mun˜oz et al., 1991). The CaM-like protein EhCaBP1 has four canonical EF-hand Ca2þ binding domains but no functional similarity to CaM (Yadava et al., 1997). Inducible expression of EhCaBP1 antisense RNA demonstrated this protein’s role in actin-mediated processes (Sahoo et al., 2004). Analysis of the whole genome revealed presence of 27 CaBPs with multiple EF-hand calcium binding domains (Bhattacharya et al., 2006). Many of these proteins are architecturally very similar but functionally distinct from CaM. Moreover, functional diversity was also observed among closely related CaBPs such as EhCaBP1 and EhCaBP2 (79% identical at the amino acid level; Chakrabarty et al., 2004). Analysis of partial EST and proteomic databases combined with Northern blots and RT-PCR shows that at least one-third of these genes are expressed in trophozoites, suggesting that many if not all of the 27 are functional genes (Bhattacharya et al., 2006). What are the roles of these proteins in the context of E. histolytica biology? At present the function of only two EhCaBPs are known, EhCaBP1 and URE3-BP. The rest of the proteins are likely to be Ca2þ sensors involved in a number of different signal transduction pathways. After binding Ca2þ these may undergo conformational changes and the bound form then activates downstream target proteins. It is not clear why E. histolytica would need so many Ca2þ sensors when many other organisms do not. It is likely that with Ca2þ being involved in many functions, some of which are localised in different cellular locations, the

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various CaBPs may participate in different functions that are spatially and temporally separated.

8. THE MITOSOME One of the expectations for the E. histolytica genome project was that it would identify the function of the mitochondrial remnant known as the mitosome (Tovar et al., 1999) or crypton (Mai et al., 1999). Under the microscope mitosomes are ovoid structures smaller than 0.5 mm in diameter (Leon-Avila and Tovar, 2004). While it is now clear that no mitochondrial genome still persists, from both genome sequencing and cellular localisation data (Leon-Avila and Tovar, 2004), the protein complement of the organelle is still somewhat obscure. The number of identifiable mitosomal proteins remains very small and does not provide great insight into the organelleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s function. Genes encoding mitochondrial-type chaperonins (cpn60, hsp10 and mt-hsp70) have been identified and appear to be synthesised with amino-terminal signal sequences. The importation machinery has been shown to be conserved with that in true mitochondria (Mai et al., 1999; Tovar et al., 1999), but none of the proteins involved in mitosomal protein import have been identified with certainty. Other genes encoding putative mitosomal proteins include pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase (which moves reducing equivalents between NAD and NADP, and acts as a proton pump (Clark and Roger, 1995); only an incomplete gene is present in the assembly), an ADP/ATP transporter (Chan et al., 2005), a P-glycoprotein-like protein (Pgp6), and a mitochondrial-type thioredoxin, although the latter two are identified based largely on their amino terminal extensions. The only enzymatic pathway that is normally mitochondrial in location is ironâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;sulphur cluster synthesis. Genes encoding homologues of both IscS/NifS and IscU/NifU proteins are present, but uniquely among eukaryotes the E. histolytica homologues are not of mitochondrial origin, having been acquired by distinct LGT from an e-proteobacterium (Ali et al., 2004b; van der Giezen et al., 2004). The location of these proteins appears to be cytoplasmic as determined by immunofluorescence, using antibodies against both the native proteins as well as detection of epitope-tagged proteins in transformed E. histolytica (V. Ali and T. Nozaki, unpublished data). The same pathway has been localised to mitosomes in Giardia and is also retained in all other organisms with remnant mitochondria. Given the apparently unique non-compartmentalised nature of ironâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;sulphur cluster synthesis in E. histolytica the location of the proteins needs to be confirmed by immuno-electron-microscopy; such experiments are currently under way (V. Ali and T. Nozaki, unpublished data). The function of the E. histolytica mitosome therefore remains an enigma.

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9. ENCYSTATION The infectious stage of E. histolytica, and also that most often used for diagnosis, is the quadrinucleate cyst. Because it is not possible to encyst E. histolytica in axenic culture, E. invadens, which is a reptilian parasite, has been used as a model organism for encystation (Eichinger, 2001; Wang et al., 2003). The E. invadens cyst wall is composed of three parts: deacetylated chitin (also known as chitosan), lectins that bind chitin (e.g., Jacob and Jessie) or cyst wall glycoproteins (e.g., plasma membrane Gal/ GalNAc lectin), and enzymes that modify chitin or cyst wall proteins (e.g., chitin deacetylase, chitinase and cysteine proteases) (Fig. 2.11).

9.1. Chitin synthases Chitin fibrils, which are homopolymers of b-1,4-linked N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc), are synthesised by chitin synthases. Chitin synthases share common ancestry with cellulose synthases and hyaluronan synthase. They are transmembrane proteins with a catalytic domain in the cytosol (Bulawa, 1993), where UDP-GlcNAc is made into a homopolymer and is threaded through the transmembrane domains into the extracellular space. In S. cerevisiae, four accessory peptides, encoded by the Chs4â&#x20AC;&#x201C;7 genes, are necessary for the function of its chitin synthases (Trilla et al., 1999). Remarkably, the E. histolytica chitin synthase 2 (EhChs2) complements a S. cerevisiae chs1/chs3 mutant and the function of EhChs2 is independent of the four accessory peptides (Van Dellen et al., 2006a). This result suggests the possibility that chimaeras of E. histolytica and S. cerevisiae chitin synthases may be used to map domains in the S. cerevisiae chitin synthase that interact with the accessory peptides.

9.2. Chitin deacetylases Chitin fibrils in the cyst wall are modified by deacetylases and chitinases (see Section 9.3). There are two E. invadens chitin deacetylases, which convert chitin into chitosan (Das et al., 2006). Chitosan is a mixture of N-acetyl glucosamine and glucosamine and so has a positive charge. It is also present in spore walls of S. cerevisiae and in lateral walls of Mucor (Kafetzopoulos et al., 1993; Mishra et al., 1997). It is likely that the positive charge of chitosan fibrils contributes to the binding of cyst wall proteins, all of which are acidic (de la Vega et al., 1997; Frisardi et al., 2000; Van Dellen et al., 2002b). Monosaccharide analyses of the E. invadens cyst walls following treatment with SDS to remove proteins strongly suggest that chitosan is the only sugar homopolymer present (Das et al., 2006).

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FIGURE 2.11 Model for the Entamoeba cyst wall derived primarily from experiments with E. invadens. (A) The cyst wall consists of chitosan fibrils, which are made by chitin synthase and chitin deacetylase. Wall proteins include Jacob lectins with tandem arrays of 6-Cys chitin-binding domains (CBDs), as well as chitinase and Jessie lectins that have a single 8-Cys CBD. The Gal/GalNAc lectin in the plasma membrane binds sugars on the Jacob and Jessie lectins. (B) Structures of representative lectins are illustrated in (A).

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9.3. Chitinases Entamoeba species encode numerous chitinases with a conserved type 18 glycohydrolase domain (de la Vega et al., 1997). Recombinant Entamoeba chitinases have both endo- and exo-chitinase activities. Two other domains are important in Entamoeba chitinases: (1) At the N-terminus is a unique 8-Cys chitin-binding domain (CBD), which is also present as a single domain in E. histolytica Jessie lectins (Fig. 2.11) (Van Dellen et al., 2002b). Chitinase and Jessie-3 lectin bind to the E. invadens cyst wall by means of this 8-Cys CBD (Van Dellen et al., 2006b). This E. histolytica chitinase CBD has the same function as CBDs in chitinases of fungi, nematodes, insects and bacteria, but has no sequence similarity (i.e., it has arisen by convergent evolution) (Shen and JacobsLorena, 1999). (2) Between the CBD and chitinase domains of Entamoeba species are low complexity sequences that contain heptapeptide repeats (Ghosh et al., 2000). These polymorphic repeats may be used to distinguish isolates of E. histolytica within the same population and may be able to discriminate among isolates from New to Old World (Haghighi et al., 2003). These polymorphic repeats, which are rich in serine and resemble mucin-like domains in other glycoproteins, may also be the sites for addition of O-phosphodiester linked sugars (see Section 6.5.4).

9.4. Jacob lectins Chitin fibrils in the cyst wall of E. invadens are cross-linked by Jacob lectins, which contain three to five unique 6-Cys CBDs (Frisardi et al., 2000). E. invadens has at least nine genes encoding Jacob lectins, and the mRNA levels from each gene increase during encystation (Van Dellen et al., 2006b). In addition, at least six Jacob lectin proteins are present in E. invadens cyst walls (Van Dellen et al., 2006b). Between the CBDs, Jacob lectins have low complexity sequences that are rich in serine as in the case of chitinase (Van Dellen et al., 2006a). Jacob lectins are post-translationally modified in two ways. First, they are cleaved by cysteine proteases at conserved sites in the serine- and threonine-rich spacers between CBDs. Second, they have O-phosphodiester-linked sugars added to serine and threonine residues. O-phosphodiester-linked glycans are also present in PPGs on the surface of E. histolytica trophozoites (Moody-Haupt et al., 2000).

9.5. Gal/GalNAc lectins The Gal/GalNAc lectins present on the surface of E. histolytica trophozoites have been described earlier (see Section 3.1) and in the literature (Mann et al., 1991; Petri et al., 2002). Their possible role in encystation is suggested by two independent experiments. First, the signal for

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encystation likely depends in part on aggregation of E. invadens, which is inhibited by exogenous galactose (Coppi and Eichinger, 1999). Aggregated E. invadens secrete catecholamines, which in an autocrine manner stimulate amoebae to encyst (Coppi et al., 2002). Second, in the presence of excess galactose, E. invadens forms wall-less cysts that contain four nuclei and makes Jacob lectins and chitinase (Frisardi et al., 2000). Because E. invadens trophozoites have a Gal/GalNAc lectin on their surface that is capable of binding sugars on Jacob lectin, and because Jacob lectins have no carboxy-terminal TMH or GPI-anchor, it is likely that the cyst wall is bound to the plasma membrane by the Gal/GalNAc lectin.

9.6. Summary and comparisons Similar to the cyst wall of Giardia, the cyst wall of E. invadens is a single homogeneous layer and contains a single homopolymer, chitosan (Fig. 2.11) (Frisardi et al., 2000; Gerwig et al., 2002; Shen and JacobsLorena, 1999). In contrast, S. cerevisiae spore walls have multiple layers and contain b-1,3-glucans in addition to chitin, while Dictyostelium walls have multiple layers and contain N-acetyl galactosamine polymers in addition to cellulose (West, 2003; Yin et al., 2005). Similar to Dictyostelium and in contrast to fungi, the vast majority of Entamoeba cyst wall glycoproteins are released by SDS (Frisardi et al., 2000; Van Dellen et al., 2006b; West, 2003; Yin et al., 2005). While some Dictyostelium cyst wall proteins have been shown to be cellulose-binding lectins, all of the proteins bound to the cyst wall of E. invadens have 6-Cys CBDs ( Jacob lectins) or 8-Cys CBDs ( Jessie 3 lectin and chitinase) (Frisardi et al., 2000; Van Dellen et al., 2002b). In the same way that Giardia cyst wall protein 2 is cleaved by a cysteine protease, Jacob lectins are cleaved by an endogenous cysteine protease at sites between chitin-binding domains (Touz et al., 2002). Like Dictyostelium spore coat proteins and insect peritrophins, cysteinerich lectin domains of E. invadens cyst wall proteins are separated by serineand threonine-rich domains that are heavily glycosylated (Frisardi et al., 2000; West, 2003; Yin et al., 2005). S. cerevisiae cyst wall proteins have also extensive serine- and threonine-rich domains that are heavily glycosylated (Yin et al., 2005). These glycans likely protect proteins in cyst walls or fungal walls from exogenous proteases. While glycoproteins of the E. invadens cyst wall and Dictyostelium spore coat contain O-phosphodiester-linked glycans, S. cerevisiae wall glycoproteins contain O-glycans (Gemmill and Trimble, 1999; West et al., 2005). Like S. cerevisiae, E. invadens has enzymes in its wall that modify chitin (Yin et al., 2005). Similar to chitinases of S. cerevisiae and bacteria, E. invadens chitinase has a CBD in addition to the catalytic domain (Kuranda and Robbins, 1991). It is likely that the CBD is present to localise

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chitinase to the cyst wall (E. invadens) or cell wall (S. cerevisiae). Finally, while E. invadens uses catecholamines as autocrines for encystation, Dictyostelium uses cAMP as an autocrine for sporulation (Coppi et al., 2002; Kriebel and Parent, 2004). An important goal of future research will be to translate what is known about the E. invadens cyst wall to that of E. histolytica.

10. EVIDENCE OF LATERAL GENE TRANSFER IN THE E. HISTOLYTICA GENOME Lateral (or horizontal) gene transfer (LGT) plays a significant role in prokaryotic genome evolution, contributing up to 20% of the content of a given genome (Doolittle et al., 2003). LGT has therefore been an important means of acquiring new phenotypes, such as resistance to antibiotics and new physiological and metabolic capabilities, that may permit or facilitate adaptation to new ecological niches (Koonin et al., 2001; Lawrence, 2005a; Ochman et al., 2000). More recently, data from microbial eukaryote genomes suggest that LGT has also played a role in eukaryotic genome evolution, particularly among protists that eat bacteria (Andersson, 2005; Doolittle, 1998; Doolittle et al., 2003; Lawrence, 2005b; Richards et al., 2003). E. histolytica lives in the human gut, an environment that is rich in micro-organisms and where LGT is thought to be common between bacteria (Shoemaker et al., 2001). The E. histolytica genome thus provides a nice model for investigating prokaryote to eukaryote LGT. In the original genome description (Loftus et al., 2005), 96 putative cases of LGT were identified using phylogenetic analyses of the E. histolytica proteome. These have now been reanalysed in the light of more recently published (August, 2005) eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes. This has allowed evaluation of how previous inferences were influenced by the sparse sampling of eukaryotic and prokaryotic genes and species available at the time of the original analysis. Sparse gene and species sampling is, and is likely to remain, a very serious problem for reconstructing global trees and inferring LGT (Andersson et al., 2001; Richards et al., 2003; Salzberg et al., 2001). Thus, although ecologists differ in their claims for the extent of the unsampled microbial world, they all agree that those species in culture, and the even smaller subset for which genome data exist, represent the smallest tip of a very large iceberg.

10.1. How do the 96 LGT cases stand up? As before (Loftus et al., 2005), Bayesian and maximum likelihood distance bootstrap phylogenetic analyses were used to identify putative LGT using the following ad hoc conservative criteria: Putative LGT was inferred

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where either no other eukaryote possessed the gene or where the E. histolytica sequence was grouped with bacteria and separated from other eukaryotes by at least two strongly supported nodes (bootstrap support >70%, posterior probabilities >0.95). In cases where tree topologies were more weakly supported but still suggested a possible LGT, bootstrap partition tables were examined for partitions where the E. histolytica sequence clustered with another eukaryote. If no such partitions were found that gene was considered to be a putative LGT. Table 2.8 lists the results of the new analyses and also gives BlastP statistics for each sequence. A total of 41 LGTs remain as strongly supported as before based on the original criteria. For the remaining 55 tree topologies, support for recent LGT into the Entamoeba lineage is not as strong as before. For 27 of these 55 trees, 2 strongly supported nodes separating E. histolytica from other eukaryotes have been reduced to only 1 well-supported node. However, close scrutiny of the bootstrap partition tables for these trees revealed that, as before, there are no trees in which E. histolytica is found together with another eukaryote. Thus, LGT still remains the strongest hypothesis to explain 68 (70%) of the original 96 tree topologies. In a further 14 cases, the position of E. histolytica among prokaryotes and eukaryotes was not well supported. The taxonomic sampling of eukaryotes in these trees is very patchy and the trees do not depict consensus eukaryotic relationships. Thus, although the trees do not fulfil the conservative criteria for LGT, they also do not provide strong support for the alternative hypothesis that the E. histolytica genes were vertically inherited from a common ancestor shared with all other eukaryotes. In nine trees E. histolytica either clustered with a single newly published eukaryotic sequence, or such a relationship could not be ruled out. In six of these nine trees E. histolytica and T. vaginalis grouped together, and two trees grouped E. histolytica with the diatom Thalassiosira (e.g., see Fig. 2.12). Such trees are also not easy to explain within the current consensus for eukaryotic relationships (Baldauf, 2003). Similar topologies have previously been reported for other eukaryotes (Andersson, 2005). The explanations advanced to explain the absence of the gene in other eukaryotes include massive gene loss from multiple eukaryotic lineages, or LGT between the eukaryotic lineages concerned. Entamoeba species can ingest both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, and it has been suggested that LGT between eukaryotes, subsequent to one lineage acquiring the gene from a prokaryote, could explain such peculiar tree topologies and sparse distribution (Andersson, 2005). The fact that six of the nine cases recover a relationship between Entamoeba and Trichomonas, whose relatives often share the same niche, is consistent with this idea. In prokaryotes, recent large-scale analyses support the hypothesis that species from the same

TABLE 2.8 Acc.a

Reassessment of the 96 candidate LGT cases identified in the original genome publication RefSeq Acc.b

EhLb Top prokaryotic BLAST hit

PLc

% IDd Top eukaryotic BLAST hit ELc

41 LGT cases that remain strongly supported according to our criteria EAL43201 XP_648590.1 487 Treponema denticola 507 57 Trichomonas vaginalis EAL43619 XP_649008.1 621 Vibrio vulnificus 673 41 Saccharomyces cerevisiae EAL43678 XP_649067.1 538 EAL43850 XP_649240.1 880 EAL44182 EAL44226 EAL44778 EAL45076 EAL45145 EAL45220 EAL44744 EAL46110

XP_649570.1 XP_649612.1 XP_650165.1 XP_650453.1 XP_650531.1 XP_650606.1 XP_650131.1 XP_651498.1

260 262 188 358 825 479 160 157

Fusobacterium nucleatum 562 47 Mannheimia 898 63 succiniciproducens Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron 273 34 Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron 267 28 Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron 188 43 Bacteroides fragilis 362 46 Staphylococcus aureus 1036 30 Clostridium tetani 471 45 Bacteroides fragilis 424 41 Bacteroides fragilis 166 49

Trichomonas vaginalis Mastigamoeba balamuthi

%IDd PE-scoree

398 43 664 40 477 34 882 45

Yarrowia lipolytica 298 29 Tetrahymena thermophila 1476 30 Neurospora crassa 546 34 Trichomonas vaginalis 562 22 Trichomonas vaginalis 2468 20 Arabidopsis thaliana 581 31 Yarrowia lipolytica 169 31 Arabidopsis thaliana 627 35

EE-scoref P/E ratiog

1.00E-167 5.00E-88 2.00E-80 1.00E-132 1.00E1.00E-07 125 1.00E-135 2.00E-60 5.00E-76 0 0 N/A 2.00E-35 2.00E-25 8.00E-41 1.00E-87 3.00E-59 1.00E-114 3.00E-24 5.00E-35

4.00E-10 0.11 1.8 0.24 0.016 1.00E-54 7.00E-11 3.2

5.00E-26 1.82E-24 4.44E-41 4.17E-87 1.88E-57 1.00E-60 4.29E-14 1.56E-35

(continued)

150 TABLE 2.8

(continued)

Acc.a

RefSeq Acc.b

EhLb Top prokaryotic BLAST hit

EAL45378 EAL45618 EAL46311 EAL46679 EAL46975 EAL47525 EAL47905 EAL48587 EAL48979 EAL49084 EAL49209 EAL49277 EAL49613 EAL49813

XP_650765.1 XP_651004.1 XP_651697.1 XP_652065.1 XP_652361.1 XP_652912.1 XP_653291.1 XP_653973.1 XP_654365.1 XP_654474.1 XP_654596.1 XP_654665.1 XP_654999.1 XP_655200.1

311 159 248 218 370 380 227 425 732 350 247 737 168 186

Haloarcula marismortui Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Synechococcus elongates Methanosarcina mazei Bordetella bronchiseptica Clostridium perfringens Clostridium perfringens Desulfovibrio vulgaris Thermotoga neapolitana Methanococcus jannaschii Bacteroides fragilis Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Sulfolobus solfataricus Escherichia coli

PLc

% IDd Top eukaryotic BLAST hit ELc

299 157 270 230 368 296 259 442 740 241 243 781 237 200

43 46 36 37 46 23 33 60 40 29 38 31 34 31

%IDd PE-scoree

Leishmania major 411 43 Plasmodium vivax 1275 33 Trichomonas vaginalis 3075 18 Candida glabrata 461 24 Cryptococcus neoformans 372 40 Plasmodium falciparum 390 34 Tetrahymena thermophila 1425 24 Yarrowia lipolytica 572 37 Cryptococcus neoformans 735 28 Anopheles gambiae 784 40 Thalassiosira pseudonana 269 22 Cryptococcus neoformans 935 24 Tetrahymena thermophila 487 38 P. brasiliensis 257 26

3.00E-54 2.00E-28 1.00E-30 8.00E-31 8.00E-83 2.00E-13 4.00E-19 1.00E-149 1.00E-135 1.00E-24 7.00E-43 1.00E-111 1.00E-16 2.00E-13

EE-scoref P/E ratiog 1.00E-32 0.69 0.38 0.079 3.00E-71 1.3 0.32 9.00E-57 3.00E-64 5.00E-06 0.0002 6.00E-44 6.00E-06 0.47

3.00E-22 2.90E-28 2.63E-30 1.01E-29 2.67E-12 1.54E-13 1.25E-18 1.11E-93 3.33E-72 2.00E-19 3.50E-39 1.67E-68 1.67E-11 4.26E-13

EAL49869 EAL50263 EAL50440 EAL50508 EAL50603 EAL50801 EAL50992 EAL50997 EAL51149 EAL51236

XP_655257.1 XP_655646.1 XP_655826.1 XP_655888.1 XP_655988.1 XP_656185.1 XP_656375.1 XP_656380.1 XP_656535.1 XP_656622.1

390 390 344 348 567 499 140 656 343 259

EAL51348 EAL51525 EAL51565 EAL51925 EAL52001

XP_656749.1 XP_656903.1 XP_656946.1 XP_657304.1 XP_657387.1

171 316 415 448 303

Campylobacter jejuni Porphyromonas gingivalis Bacillus anthracis Wolinella succinogenes Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Archaeoglobus fulgidus Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Bacteroides fragilis Symbiobacterium thermophilum Methanopyrus kandleri Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Clostridium perfringens T. tengcongensis Oceanobacillus iheyensis

407 408 491 340 622 513 184 718 359 274

56 48 54 55 45 52 40 53 43 45

Ashbya gossypii Yarrowia lipolytica Rhizopus oryzae Mus musculus Trichomonas vaginalis Trichomonas vaginalis Trichomonas vaginalis Cryptococcus neoformans Pichia ofunaensis Oryza sativa

204 300 900 481 306

37 29 43 43 27

Tetrahymena thermophila 2872 22 Candida boidinii 314 32 Trichomonas vaginalis 897 40 Giardia lamblia 937 33

490 428 510 168 632 514 195 770 378 315

39 38 40 40 39 28 46 32 34 21

1.00E-124 1.00E-98 1.00E-101 1.00E-106 1.00E-141 1.00E-145 1.00E-27 0 8.00E-84 3.00E-51

8.00E-73 3.00E-60 2.00E-67 2.00E-18 2.00E-99 3.00E-40 0.018 2.00E-69 1.00E-53 0.003

1.25E-52 3.33E-39 5.00E-35 5.00E-89 5.00E-43 3.33E-106 5.56E-26 0.00E Ăž 00 8.00E-31 1.00E-48

3.00E-21 8.00E-27 1.00E-89 3.00E-96

0.1 0.0007 5.00E-81 2.00E-60 2.00E-15

3.00E-20 1.14E-23 2.00E-09 1.50E-36 0.00E Ăž 00

(continued)

151

152 TABLE 2.8 Acc.a

(continued) RefSeq Acc.b

EhLb Top prokaryotic BLAST hit

PLc

% IDd Top eukaryotic BLAST hit ELc

%IDd PE-scoree

27 LGT cases that are more weakly supported than before according to our criteria EAL45152 XP_650539.1 122 Shewanella oneidensis 132 34 Trypanosoma bruzeii 385 24 EAL43347 XP_648734.1 848 Burkholderia pseudomallei 779 38 Plasmodium falciparum 2463 32 EAL44257 XP_649643.1 407 Clostridium acetobutylicum 406 25 Homo sapiens 468 24 EAL45586 XP_650972.1 460 Clostridium tetani 476 47 Xenopus laevis 513 38 EAL46313 XP_651699.1 118 Prochlorococcus marinus 163 42 Hordeum vulgare 223 22 EAL46399 XP_651785.1 218 Clostridium perfringens 235 65 Trypanosoma bruzeii 295 52 EAL46421 XP_651808.1 205 Clostridium acetobutylicum 230 40 Arabidopsis thaliana 241 33 EAL46701 XP_652087.1 294 Bacteroides fragilis 308 45 Thalassiosira pseudonana 348 27 EAL46757 XP_652143.1 95 Lactococcus lactis 103 31 Tetrahymena thermophila 112 32 EAL46858 XP_652245.1 192 Pseudomonas aeruginosa 195 41 Caenorhabditis briggsae 229 40 EAL47026 XP_652397.1 164 Bacillus subtilis 181 30 Trichomonas vaginalis 182 26 EAL47464 XP_652839.1 504 Treponema denticola 509 39 Piromyces sp. 555 27 EAL47648 XP_653034.1 259 Methanosarcina mazei 272 36 Arabidopsis thaliana 345 25

5.00E-10 1.00E-136 6.00E-23 1.00E-116 2.00E-21 3.00E-73 7.00E-34 4.00E-63 3.00E-09 6.00E-36 3.00E-10 5.00E-88 2.00E-39

EE-scoref P/E ratiog 6.6 4.00E-44 1.00E-14 5.00E-84 1.4 9.00E-54 6.00E-12 1.00E-14 1.00E-07 2.00E-17 2.00E-08 2.00E-30 3.00E-11

7.58E-11 2.50E-93 6.00E-09 2.00E-33 1.43E-21 3.33E-20 1.17E-22 4.00E-49 3.00E-02 3.00E-19 1.50E-02 2.50E-58 6.67E-29

EAL47787 XP_653173.1 546

Spirochaeta thermophila

571

Solanum tuberosum

EAL48186 EAL49309 EAL48568 EAL48767 EAL48783 EAL49703 EAL49996 EAL50325 EAL50521 EAL50620 EAL50838 EAL50986 EAL52121

Bacillus cereus Methanosarcina mazei Chlamydia pneumoniae Bacteroides fragilis Pseudomonas putida Clostridium acetobutylicum Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Clostridium tetani Streptococcus agalactiae Wolinella succinogenes Anabaena sp. Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron T. tengcongensis

279 379 271 177 225 398 368 448 323 655 287 240 222

34 42 38 40 46 34 60 30 29 27 27 31 36

Thalassiosira pseudonana Leishmania major Debaryomyces hansenii Trichomonas vaginalis Giardia lamblia Tetrahymena thermophila Brachydanio rerio Trichomonas vaginalis Leishmania major Trichomonas vaginalis Trichomonas vaginalis Xenopus laevis Caenorhabditis elegans

XP_653572.1 XP_654698.1 XP_653954.1 XP_654156.1 XP_654172.1 XP_655090.1 XP_655383.1 XP_655711.1 XP_655905.1 XP_656005.1 XP_656225.1 XP_656369.1 XP_657511.1

232 358 113 165 217 396 358 447 285 261 299 219 220

552 46 271 373 699 189 239 445 367 871 452 261 336 309 255

32 31 38 28 35 29 43 29 24 28 29 29 26

1.00E-175 1.00E135 2.00E-10 2.00E-08 5.00E-77 9.00E-44 5.00E-14 7.00E-16 7.00E-28 2.00E-05 2.00E-43 7.00E-24 4.00E-64 3.00E-44 1.00E-121 5.00E-76 4.00E-46 1.00E-37 2.00E-22 3.00E-06 6.00E-21 1.00E-06 4.00E-15 0.0009 2.00E-20 1.00E-12 1.00E-30 1.00E-07

1.00E-40 1.00E-02 5.56E-34 7.14E Ăž 01 3.50E-23 2.86E-20 1.33E-20 2.00E-46 4.00E-09 6.67E-17 6.00E-15 4.44E-12 2.00E-08 1.00E-23

(continued)

153

154 TABLE 2.8 Acc.a

(continued) RefSeq Acc.b

EhLb Top prokaryotic BLAST hit

PLc

% IDd Top eukaryotic BLAST hit ELc

14 cases where increased sampling has weakened that case for LGT EAL42539 XP_647925.1 213 Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron 319 47 EAL42738 XP_648124.1 313 Campylobacter jejuni 324 40 EAL44270 XP_649657.1 179 Methanococcus maripaludis 193 37 EAL44593 XP_649979.1 220 Vibrio vulnificus 244 24 EAL45320 XP_650707.1 154 Geobacillus kaustophilus 183 53 EAL45332 XP_650718.1 392 Methanosarcina acetivorans 420 48 EAL45528 XP_650913.1 349 Sulfolobus acidocaldarius 343 28 EAL45907 XP_651293.1 380 Streptomyces coelicolor 603 32

%IDd PE-scoree

EE-scoref P/E ratiog

411 313 186 238 182 396 313 457

43 36 21 21 43 47 27 30

3.00E-53 1.00E-63 2.00E-27 0.0002 8.00E-38 8.00E-99 1.00E-24 2.00E-39

1.00E-32 4.00E-42 2.00E-09 2.6 2.00E-32 2.00E-93 5.00E-17 2.00E-35

3.00E-21 2.50E-22 1.00E-18 7.69E-05 4.00E-06 4.00E-06 2.00E-08 1.00E-04

8.00E-08 1.00E172 2.00E-19 1.00E-33 1.00E-35

2.50E-37 0.00E Ăž 00

EAL46026 XP_651412.1 176 EAL46116 XP_651488.1 662

Bacteroides fragilis Bacillus clausii

184 684

51 48

Entodinium caudatum Trichomonas vaginalis Anopheles gambiae Trichomonas vaginalis Thalassiosira pseudonana Trichomonas vaginalis Cyanophora paradoxa Dictyostelium discoideum Tetrahymena thermophila Solanum tuberosum

323 761

32 48

2.00E-44 0

EAL46656 XP_652044.1 419 EAL50605 XP_655990.1 392 EAL51270 XP_656656.1 251

Dictyoglomus thermophilum 579 Thermotoga maritima 417 Porphyromonas gingivalis 261

30 38 50

S. pombe 493 Cryptococcus neoformans 445 Anopheles gambiae 272

41 30 39

2.00E-35 2.00E-69 6.00E-53

1.00E-16 2.00E-36 6.00E-18

EAL52102 XP_657492.1 345

Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron 358

Thalassiosira pseudonana 354

1.00E-105 7.00E-86 1.43E-20

Nine cases where Entamoeba is now recovered with a recently sequenced gene from another microbial eukaryote EAL44213 XP_649600.1 710 Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus 698 37 Trichomonas vaginalis 713 35 1.00E-127 1.00E127 EAL44435 XP_649823.1 250 Bacteroides fragilis 395 40 Trichomonas vaginalis 395 33 1.00E-43 3.00E-35 EAL44766 XP_650152.1 401 Porphyromonas gingivalis 419 36 Trichomonas vaginalis 445 32 3.00E-65 1.00E-51 EAL47785 XP_653171.1 234 Bacillus anthracis 242 32 Trichomonas vaginalis 256 39 2.00E-30 3.00E-33 EAL47859 XP_653246.1 337 Clostridium acetobutylicum 322 50 C. reinhardtii 352 44 9.00E-74 0 EAL49158 XP_654544.1 397 T. tengcongensis 412 49 Trichomonas vaginalis 416 46 1.00E-100 4.00E-99 EAL49488 XP_654874.1 320 Geobacter sulfurreducens 336 34 Leishmania major 357 31 1.00E-38 4.00E-30 EAL49791 XP_655177.1 164 Oceanobacillus iheyensis 177 42 Thalassiosira pseudonana 96 38 8.00E-30 6.00E-09 EAL50404 XP_655790.1 718 T. tengcongensis 717 37 Trichomonas vaginalis 721 34 1.00E-139 1.00E118 Five cases where vertical inheritance is now the simplest explanation for the new tree EAL44346 XP_649732.1 314 Oceanobacillus iheyensis 239 47 Dictyostelium 278 65 1.00E-52 3.00E-95 discoideum

1.00E þ 00 3.33E-09 3.00E-14 6.67E þ 02 N/A 2.50E-02 2.50E-09 1.33E-21 1.00E-21

3.33E þ 42

(continued)

155

TABLE 2.8

(continued)

Acc.a

RefSeq Acc.b

EhLb Top prokaryotic BLAST hit

PLc

% IDd Top eukaryotic BLAST hit ELc

EAL45466 EAL45548 EAL45595 EAL50185

XP_650849.1 XP_650934.1 XP_650981.1 XP_655571.1

209 259 284 186

Agrobacterium tumefaciens Bacillus cereus (strain ZK) Pyrobaculum aerophilum Aeropyrum pernix

254 233 293 192

31 29 27 31

Thalassiosira pseudonana Candida glabrata Ashbya gossypii Thalassiosira pseudonana

227 270 343 149

%IDd PE-scoree

EE-scoref P/E ratiog

35 30 27 30

1.00E-27 5.00E-05 7.00E-16 5.00E-06

3.00E-23 7.00E-06 1.00E-23 4.00E-13

3.00E Ăž 04 1.40E-01 1.43E-08 8.00E-08

Abbreviated taxon names: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: C. reinhardtii; Paracoccidioides brasiliensis: P. brasiliensis; Schizosaccharomyces pombe: S. pombe; Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis: T. tengcongensis. Note: All 96 trees reanalysed here can be downloaded (in pdf format) from the following web site: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/microbial_eukaryotes/ a GenBank accession numbers and RefSeq accession numbers, respectively, for the 96 original candidates LGT identified by phylogenetic analysis (Loftus et al., 2005). b EhL, the length of the E. histolytica protein. c PL/EL, the protein length of the prokaryotic or eukaryotic top BlastP hit, respectively. d %ID, the percent identity between the E. histolytica protein and the top prokaryotic or eukaryotic protein in BlastP alignments (in respective columns). e PE-score, the e-score of the top, prokaryotic hit. f EE-score, the e-score of the top eukaryotic hit. g P/E ratio, the e-score ratio between the top prokaryotic hit and top eukaryotic hit.

Entamoeba histolytica Genome

EAL50404 XP_655790.1

157

Prevotella bryantii Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron

1.00/100

Bacteroides fragilis Parachlamydia sp.

0.94/46

Chlorobium tepidum 1.00/78 1.00/96 1.00/63 1.00/100

Thalassiosira pseudonana Entamoeba histolytica

Ruminococcus flavefaciens 1.00/100 Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens 0.73/3* Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. 0.79/26* Trichomonas vaginalis Thermoanaerobacter tengcongens 0.99/99 Clostridium acetobutylicum Deinococcus radiodurans Desulfovibrio vulgaris

Pseudanabaena sp. Synechocystis sp. Synechococcus sp.

0.1

FIGURE 2.12 Phylogenetic relationships of E. histolytica glutamine synthase. The gene encoding glutamine synthase (EC 6.3.1.2) is now shared by E. histolytica and the diatom Thalassiosira. This gene is mainly restricted to prokaryotic genomes (eukaryotes are highlighted by arrows). T. vaginalis also contains a homologue but in this case it clusters weakly with Fusobacterium. The scale bar represents 10% of inferred sequence divergence. Both the GenBank and RefSeq accession numbers are given for the E. histolytica entry. The tree is the consensus Mr Bayes tree with support values corresponding to the posterior probabilities of the Bayesian analysis followed by the bootstrap support value of the equivalent node in maximum likelihood distance analysis. Only a selection of the most relevant support values are shown. A star indicates that the maximum likelihood analysis did not recover the node found in the Bayesian analysis.

environment may share a set of niche-specific genes (Beiko et al., 2005; Mira et al., 2004). For five trees, the E. histolytica gene now appears to be present in eukaryotes from a different taxonomic group and the analysis cannot exclude a common origin for all eukaryotic sequences. Thus, for about 5% of the original 96 cases the simplest explanation is no longer LGT, but vertical inheritance from a common ancestor shared with other eukaryotes.

10.2. Where do the genes come from? As before, certain prokaryotic groups are favoured as the potential donors of LGT genes in the E. histolytica genome (Loftus et al., 2005). In 15 wellresolved trees E. histolytica is recovered next to a member of the

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Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi group. Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi are abundant members of the intestinal microflora (Shoemaker et al., 2001), providing plenty of opportunities for LGT to occur. Members of the Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi and Fusobacterium (one tree) groups are all obligate anaerobes. This bias is consistent with the idea that prokaryotic and eukaryotic cohabitants of the same anaerobic niche are sharing genes (Andersson et al., 2001; Beiko et al., 2005; Lawrence, 2005b). For example, Fig. 2.13 shows an intriguing example where the T. vaginalis gene clusters with members of the Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi and E. histolytica clusters with Fusobacterium.

10.3. What kinds of gene are being transferred? Most of the 68 laterally transferred genes that can be assigned to a functional category encode enzymes involved in metabolism (Fig. 2.14). This is consistent with the complexity hypothesis, which posits that LGT of genes involved in processing a single substrate are more likely to be transferred than those genes encoding proteins that interact with many other cellular components, such as ribosomal proteins for example (Jain et al., 1999). Mapping the LGT enzymes on the E. histolytica metabolic pathway (Loftus et al., 2005) indicates that LGT has affected some important pathways, including ironâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;sulphur cluster biosynthesis, amino acid metabolism and nucleotide metabolism. Since only 8 of the 68 LGT have obvious homologues in the human genome, the proteins are potentially specific to the parasite and may thus be worth exploring as potential drug targets. The rest of the LGT cases involve hypothetical or unclassified proteins.

11. MICROARRAY ANALYSIS Microarray-based analyses can be utilised in conjunction with genome sequencing to assign functional roles to annotated genes and to clarify genomic architecture. A number of groups have utilised DNA microarrays in E. histolytica (made from random genomic DNA fragments or long or short oligonucleotides based on annotated genes) to successfully study transcriptional differences between virulent and avirulent E. histolytica as well as transcriptional responses to heat shock, collagen and calcium exposure, tissue invasion and cyst development (Debnath et al., 2004; Gilchrist et al., 2006; MacFarlane and Singh, 2006; Weber et al., 2006; Ehrenkaufer et al., 2007). Additionally, using a genomic DNA microarray, comparative genomic hybridisations (CGH) between strains and species of Entamoeba have been performed (Shah et al., 2005). Some interesting aspects of amoebic biology have been uncovered using DNA microarray-based expression profiling. To investigate the hypothesis that virulence determinants will be more highly expressed in

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159

Escherichia intermedia Citrobacter freundii Erwinia herbicola Clostridium tetani 1.00/100 Fusobacterium nucleatum Tryptophanase Fusobacterium nucleatum EC 4.1.99.1 Amino acid Treponema denticola 1.00/100 Pasteurella multocida metabolism 1.00/89 Symbiobacterium sp. Symbiobacterium thermophilum Azoarcus sp. Haloarcula marismortui Halobacterium sp. Aeropyrum pernix Rhodobacter capsulatus 1.00/28 Fusobacterium nucleatum 1.00/100 Fusobacterium nucleatum4 Entamoeba histolytica 1.00/100 Trichomonas vaginalis 1.00/100 Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Porphyromonas gingivalis Treponema denticola 1.00/99 Clostridium tetani Propionibacterium acnes Symbiobacterium thermophilum Thermoanaerobacter tengcongens Photobacterium profundum 1.00/100 Enterobacter aerogenes Photorhabdus luminescens Proteus inconstans Proteus vulgaris Desulfovibrio vulgaris 1.00/87 1.00/98 Chromobacterium violaceum Photobacterium profundum Vibrio parahaemolyticus Vibrio cholerae Vibrio vulnificus Photobacterium profundum Haemophilus influenzae Pasteurella multocida Escherichia coli O157 H7 Escherichia coli O6 0.1 Escherichia coli EAL43678 XP_649067.1

FIGURE 2.13 Phylogenetic relationships of E. histolytica tryptophanase. This tree suggests that the E. histolytica gene encoding a tryptophanase was acquired by LGT from a relative of the anaerobic bacterium Fusobacterium. In contrast, the T. vaginalis gene appears to have a separate origin with an LGT from a relative of the anaerobic Bacteroides group. The scale bar represents 10% of inferred sequence divergence. Both the GenBank and RefSeq accession numbers are given for the E. histolytica entry. The EC number is also shown. Analysis details as for figure 2.12.

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META_NUCL 3% META_ENER 10%

META_LIPID 3% META_PROTF 3% Unclassfied 18%

META_COFA 7%

META_CARB 22%

Hypothetical 27%

META_AA 7%

FIGURE 2.14 Pie chart of functional categories for the 68 strongest LGT cases. The cases are those discussed in the text and listed in Table 2.8. Most entries encode metabolic enzymes (KEGG annotation).

virulent strains, the transcriptomes of virulent and avirulent Entamoeba species and strains have been studied. It has been confirmed that a number of known virulence determinants have decreased expression in avirulent Entamoeba (Davis et al., 2007; MacFarlane and Singh, 2006). A genomic DNA microarray composed of 2,110 genes identified 29 genes with decreased expression in both an attenuated E. histolytica strain (Rahman) and the avirulent E. dispar (strain SAW760) (MacFarlane and Singh, 2006), while an oligonucleotide microarray composed of 6,242 genes identified 152 genes with a higher level of expression in the virulent E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS than in the attenuated Rahman strain (Davis et al., 2007). A majority of these genes are annotated as hypothetical and whether these genes encode novel virulence factors will require genetic analysis of their functions. A peroxiredoxin gene identified as having decreased expression in E. histolytica Rahman has been shown to be a virulence factor (Davis et al., 2006), indicating that these comparisons between virulent and avirulent strains are likely to be a fruitful avenue of investigation. In other microarray-based studies, the large family of transmembrane receptor kinases identified in E. histolytica has been found to be differentially expressed under in vitro trophozoite culture conditions (Beck et al., 2005). One can easily envision that these kinases may have roles in signalling, allowing the parasite to adapt to its ever-changing

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environmental milieu. A substantial transcriptional response to heat shock has been demonstrated (Weber et al., 2006), and interestingly lectin gene family members were identified as being differentially regulated under heat shock conditions. The most comprehensive microarray data to date used a whole genome short oligonucleotide microarray (based on the Affymetrix platform) to profile the transcriptional changes that occur as the parasite colonises and invades the host colon (Gilchrist et al., 2006). Using a mouse model of colitis, in which the microscopic features replicate human disease and substantial pathology can be seen, the transcriptional response of parasites was assayed soon after colonisation (one day after injection into the caecum) and in a long-term (29 days) disease state. Overall, 326 genes were modulated at day 1 after infection, 109 at 29 days after infection, and 88 at both time points. A number of the wellcharacterised â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;virulence determinantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in E. histolytica were highly expressed under all conditions tested and not transcriptionally modulated, although some members of the cysteine protease gene family were highly regulated during tissue invasion. A summary of the genes and gene families that have been identified as being transcriptionally active under the conditions mentioned above is listed in Table 2.9. The life cycle of E. histolytica involves transition between the trophozoite stage, responsible for colonisation as well as invasive disease, and the cyst, responsible for infection transmission. Despite its central role, little is known about cyst development in E. histolytica, largely due to our inability to generate E. histolytica cysts in axenic culture. Using a whole genome microarray and xenic cultures of recently isolated E. histolytica strains that contained spontaneously produced cysts, a cyst transcriptome was developed that identified 1,439 developmentally regulated genes (672 cyst-specific and 767 trophozoite-specific genes; Ehrenkaufer et al., 2007). This first large-scale insight into encystation indicates that 15% of E. histolytica genes are transcriptionally controlled in this developmental pathway. Among the genes identified were a number of stage-specific cysteine proteases, transmembrane kinases, transcriptional regulators and other potential initiators of the developmental cascade. Future characterisation of these genes and pathways will provide important insights into developmental processes in this parasite. The above microarray studies used expression data to identify interesting genes and pathways potentially involved in amoebic pathogenesis or development. In another application of microarrays, CGH identified a number of interesting genomic characteristics of Entamoeba (Shah et al., 2005). The E. histolytica genome project revealed that a large number of genes are multi-copy or members of highly similar gene families. Due to the repetitive nature of the genome there has been difficulty with genome assembly and thus the large number of gene duplications could have

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TABLE 2.9 Examples of microarray-detected transcriptional changes in some gene families and the conditions tested

Gene family

Total number of genes family

Cysteine proteases

29c

Lectin (heavy, light, and intermediate subunits)

Amoebapore

Transmembrane receptor kinases

>80

AIG-1 (similar to 15 plant antibacterial proteins) a b c

Number of genes transcriptionally regulated under condition tested Heat shocka (1,131 genes on array)

2 up-regulated (CPs 6, 4); 7 down-regulated (CPs 1, 2, 3, 8, 13, 17), 1 up-regulated (Hgl-2); 5 down-regulated (Lgl-1 and 3, Igl-1 and -2, Hgl-3)

1 down-regulated (amoebapore C) NA

Host colonisation and invasionb (9,435 genes on array)

21 genes on array; 4 up-regulated (CPs 1, 9, 4, 6); 1 down-regulated (CP8) No change in heavy or intermediate subunits; Light subunit lgl-2 and lgl-3 down-regulated) No substantial changes 6 up-regulated (TMKs 69, 53, 95, 105, 63, 56); 2 down-regulated (TMKs 03 and 17) 5 up-regulated at day 1; 6 downregulated at day 29 (all nonoverlapping)

Adapted from Weber et al. (2006). Adapted from Gilchrist et al. (2006). Number of cysteine protease gene families in genome annotation at time studies were performed.

represented an assembly artefact. The data from CGH confirmed the high copy number of a significant portion ( 14%) of the genome and validated the genome assembly. Additionally, genome-wide genetic diversity was demonstrated among strains of E. histolytica (Shah et al., 2005), including the

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observation that the attenuated E. histolytica strain Rahman had a unique genetic pattern suggesting the possibility that a genomic signature may correlate with invasive potential. Since genome sequencing for different E. histolytica strains, including clinical isolates, is unlikely the promise of CGH to study genetic diversity and identify genotype-phenotype associations is substantial. E. dispar, the closely related but avirulent species, had been identified early on as having some genetic divergence from the virulent E. histolytica. CGH analysis of E. histolytica and E. dispar revealed a significant amount of difference between the two species. Whether the genetic drift in these genes is responsible for the non-invasive phenotype of E. dispar is not known, but the work has highlighted a number of genes for further functional analyses. Taken together the DNA microarray analyses of Entamoeba have been useful to begin to dissect the genome of this parasite and provide functional context to the genes identified in the genome sequencing effort. Future directions will include analysis of the parasite transcriptome in invasive hepatic disease as well as further characterisation of the developmental conversion to the cyst form. Those data may be useful in the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic options. Additionally, genetic approaches can now be applied to definitively assign a role for these genes in amoebic biology and pathogenesis.

12. FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR THE E. HISTOLYTICA GENOME Although the genome of E. histolytica is not yet complete, it has already revealed much about the biology of the parasite. There appear to be forces acting to compact the genome, leading to a reduction in the coding region and intron length of genes, and resulting in the loss of numerous metabolic pathways. However, there are also opposing evolutionary forces as many gene families have expanded. This applies particularly to genes involved in signalling and trafficking that allow the parasite to sense and respond to its environment, a necessary adaptation for a predatory protist. Unfortunately, it is difficult at present to understand the genome structure on a macro scale due to the fragmented nature of the current assembly. In other parasites, genome structure has been vital to unravelling important biological processes, such as antigenic variation in T. brucei and identification of rifin genes in P. falciparum. Until the E. histolytica genome is complete we will not know what else remains to be uncovered. Efforts are already under way to complete the genome by first generating a HAPPY map (Dear and Cook, 1993). Over 2000 markers are being designed at 25-kb intervals across all contigs. Using PCR, co-segregation

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analysis allows the identification of contigs that are physically linked in the genome. This will allow the ordering and orientation of the contigs and will facilitate gap closure. Shotgun genome sequencing projects of E. invadens and E. dispar are under way (Loftus and Hall, 2005). At present the E. invadens genome appears to assemble with fewer problems than were encountered with that of E. histolytica. It is anticipated that an essentially complete E. invadens genome sequence will be obtained, enabling extensive comparative analyses to be made, and facilitating the study of pathogenicity, host interaction and the evolutionary forces acting on the genome.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This chapter is dedicated to Louis S. Diamond without whose pioneering studies the sequencing of the genome would have been impossible. The genome sequencing was supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust (064057) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (5R01AI046516–03). UCMA is supported by a Wellcome Trust project grant (075796) awarded to TME and RPH. Analyses by MH and MD were supported by grant P15960 from the Austrian Science Fund, Vienna, Austria. Analyses by CM and AL were supported by grant 1RO3 TW007314–01 from the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health, USA. Analyses by NG were supported by an INCO-DEV grant in the fifth framework programme of the European Union. Analyses by IB were supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), BR 1744/7–1. N.H. thank Lynn Schriml and Regina Cer for preparing the web pages with the tables and M.L. thank Julia Winkelmann for preparing Table 2.6.

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3 Epidemiological Modelling for Monitoring and Evaluation of Lymphatic Filariasis Control Edwin Michael,* Mwele N. Malecela-Lazaro,† and James W. Kazura‡

Contents

1. Introduction 2. Why Monitor and Evaluate Filariasis Control Programmes 3. Mathematical Models and the Design of Monitoring and Evaluation Plans 3.1. Three roles of mathematical models in parasite monitoring programmes 4. Models and Quantifying Intervention Endpoint Targets 4.1. Parasite elimination endpoints: Vector biting thresholds and worm break points 4.2. Vector infection thresholds 4.3. Disease control targets 5. Monitoring Changes in Infection Levels Due to Interventions for Aiding Management Decision Making 5.1. Assessing intervention progress and specification of the frequency of monitoring 5.2. Role of spatial distribution of infection for monitoring and evaluation

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* Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, { {

United Kingdom National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Center for Global Health & Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106–7286, USA

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6. Mathematical Models and the Selection of Monitoring Indicators 6.1. Models and the impact of diagnostic accuracy of indicators for monitoring filariasis control 6.2. Selecting appropriate monitoring indicators 6.3. Models and sampling for parasite monitoring 6.4. Applying a decision-theoretical approach to selecting cost-effective monitoring tools for assessing filariasis control 7. Using Monitoring Data for Programme Management 8. Uncertainty, Monitoring and Adaptive Management 9. Conclusions Acknowledgements References

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Monitoring and evaluation are critically important to the scientific management of any parasite control programme. If a management action is prescribed, monitoring plays a pivotal role in assessing the effectiveness of implemented actions, identifying necessary adaptations for management and determining when management objectives are achieved. Here, we focus on the control of the vector-borne parasitic disease, lymphatic filariasis, to show how mathematical models of parasite transmission can provide a scientific framework for supporting the optimal design of parasite control monitoring programmes by their ability to (1) enable the estimation of endpoint targets, (2) provide information on expected trends in infection due to interventions to allow rational evaluation of intervention effectiveness and calculation of the frequency of monitoring, (3) support the selection of indicators that permit reliable and statistically powerful measurement of the effects of interventions while minimizing costs and sampling intensity and (4) aid the interpretation of monitoring data for improving programme management and knowledge of the population dynamics of parasite control. The results also highlight how the use of a model-based monitoring framework will be vitally enhanced by adopting an adaptive management approach that acknowledges uncertainty and facilitates the use of monitoring data to learn about effective control, and which allows future decisions to be modified as we learn by doing. We conclude by emphasizing a pressing need to incorporate mathematical models coupled with changes to existing management systems in ongoing efforts to design and implement rational monitoring plans for evaluating filariasis and other parasitic disease control programmes.

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1. INTRODUCTION The current renewed global interest in achieving the control or eradication of selected human helminths of public health significance has focussed attention on how best to plan, implement and manage large-scale community-based parasite control programmes (Albonico et al., 2006; Burkot et al., 2006; Fenwick et al., 2006; Habbema et al., 1992; Michael et al., 2004, 2006a,b; Molyneux and Nantulya, 2004; Molyneux et al., 2005; Ottesen, 2006; Ottesen et al., 1997; Savioli et al., 2004; Stolk et al., 2003). Recent work in this area has highlighted the need, rationale, strategies and available tools, as well as issues surrounding the implementation of proposed interventions that aim to control or eliminate these parasites from human communities in the developing world. These efforts also underscore the crucial importance and need to engage and forge novel publicâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;private, volunteer group and regionalâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;global partnerships for developing political will, policy and operational frameworks required to initiate and maintain programmes concerned with the control of the major human helminthiases (Molyneux and Zagaria, 2002). Yet, while these developments have undoubtedly led to significant progress in our understanding and capacity to plan the control or even elimination of these parasites, a conspicuous gap is the lack of a firm quantitative framework regarding the design of a key element of a successful parasite control programme, namely how best to undertake and achieve the scientific monitoring and evaluation of community-based parasite control programmes in order to ensure that management objectives are attained (Brooker et al., 2004; Gyorkos, 2003; Habicht et al., 1999; Michael et al., 2006b). This gap is despite acknowledgement that monitoring and evaluation are important to the rational management of any mass parasite control programme, and the need to continue development of more accurate diagnostic tools for assessing the effects of interventions on parasitic infection in hosts and their vectors (Albonico et al., 2006; Doenhoff et al., 2004; Nicolas, 1997; Weil et al., 1997; Williams et al., 2002). From a programme management perspective, monitoring and evaluation activities underpin effective parasite control because they are integral to informed decision making via their ability to facilitate (Binns and Nyrop, 1992; Binns et al., 2000; Elzinga et al., 2001; Maddox et al., 1999; Michael et al., 2006b; Mulder et al., 1999): The periodic assessment of the effectiveness of an implemented

programme as intervention proceeds in order to ascertain whether satisfactory progress is being made towards meeting set endpoint targets

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The identification and specification of necessary adaptations to ensure

the meeting of programme objectives if deficiencies in expected infection trends are encountered during the intervention period The determination of when objectives are achieved More recently, attention has focussed on how monitoring and periodic evaluation of programme progress are also key to providing relevant data for validating the assumptions underlying the expected outcomes (e.g., magnitude of change in infection expected over time for an endemicity level) of a given intervention strategy, which implies that implementing such actions is fundamental to improving knowledge regarding the population impacts of proposed interventions, especially when understanding concerning such impacts is hampered by uncertainty prior to intervention (Maddox et al., 1999; Parma and NCEAS working group on population management, 1998; Shea et al., 2002; Walters, 1986; Walters and Hilborn, 1978). These considerations indicate that monitoring for the purpose of decision making in parasite control ultimately should reflect the impact of intervention decisions on the underlying population dynamics of parasite transmission and infection (Dent, 2000; Kendall, 2001; Maddox et al., 1999; Michael et al., 2006b; Parma and NCEAS working group on population management, 1998; Shea et al., 2002; Walters, 1986). In other words, monitoring of parasite interventions at its core is to provide information to evaluate the effects of perturbations on a dynamical ecological system. This is because the norm against which the current state of the parasite population size is compared to in order to determine whether satisfactory progress is being made towards attaining a set endpoint and values of the endpoint targets signifying desired end states of the parasite population themselves, either the controlled state or elimination of transmission, are each properties of the dynamics of parasite transmission, persistence and response to interventions (Anderson and May, 1991; Michael et al., 2006a; Woolhouse, 1996). This implies that the development of a monitoring programme for evaluating parasite intervention progress or success cannot simply be considered as synonymous with generating infection indicators and the measurement of temporal changes in these indicators without evidence of causation (Boyle et al., 2001; Maddox et al., 1999; Mulder et al., 1999), that is without an explicit causeâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;effect link to the underlying parasite population dynamics. Our purpose here is to extend recent work on the use of mathematical models of parasite transmission to show how, by articulating critical relationships and dynamic interactions between parasite population infection processes, indicators of these processes and intervention effects, such tools can provide the scientific template for the development of defensible monitoring and evaluation plans aimed at the control of parasitic infection (Maddox et al., 1999; Michael et al., 2006b). In particular,

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we demonstrate how these models can guide the successful resolution of the three major components of an effective monitoring and evaluation programme, namely (1) the optimal design of programmes for monitoring effectiveness, including the setting of monitoring targets and provision of information on expected trends in infection due to an intervention, (2) the determination of monitoring indicators and sampling requirements and (3) the interpretation and use of monitoring data for supporting management decision making. An important secondary objective is also to portray how the application of a model-based monitoring and evaluation programme will improve understanding (decrease gaps in knowledge and uncertainty in assumptions) of the population dynamics of control, and hence refine current knowledge of management options by using the monitoring and evaluation results to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;learnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; about the parasite system and its response to control perturbations (Maddox et al., 1999; Parma and NCEAS working group on population management, 1998; Shea et al., 2002; Tolle et al., 1999; Walters and Hilborn, 1978). Although we illustrate here the use of this dynamic modelling approach for monitoring the control and/or elimination of the vector-borne helminthiasis, lymphatic filariasis, the fundamental principles and framework described are equally applicable to the control of the other major human helminths currently adopted for global control (Albonico et al., 2006; Fenwick et al., 2006).

2. WHY MONITOR AND EVALUATE FILARIASIS CONTROL PROGRAMMES Three reasons may be considered to underlie the rational and need for monitoring and evaluation of lymphatic filariasis and indeed any other parasitic disease control programme. First, these activities are required to fulfil mandatory obligations set by public health agencies, governments and donors that implemented programmes are in conformance to and attain prescribed standards and targets, for example a prescribed drug coverage or infection threshold level (Michael et al., 2004, 2006a). Compliance with these standards and targets will be critical to fulfilling both national and global requirements for certification of parasite elimination in an endemic area (World Health Organization, 1998a,b). Second, monitoring of programme effectiveness during the course of an intervention (see Table 3.1 for the different types of monitoring that can be carried out for assessing parasite control) will be important to determine if an intervention is on track to meet a set target or if observed changes due to the intervention have deviated significantly from that expected, thereby warranting remedial action to correct for such deviations (Binns et al., 2000; Mulder et al., 1999). Finally, an even more important reason for carrying

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TABLE 3.1 Types of monitoring in parasite control programmes

Implementation monitoring

Effectiveness monitoring

Validation monitoring

This type of monitoring is used to ensure that strategies and treatments are implemented in accord with stated management standards and guidelines. It is used to determine if the basic management directives (such as maintaining pre-defined optimal coverages) are followed. This monitoring aims to assess whether the implemented strategy is having the predicted effect on the targeted attribute. It is also used to determine whether changes or corrections to strategies are needed during the course of an intervention or management due to deficiencies in either strategy implementation or some other external conditions. This monitoring determines whether key assumptions made in the implemented programme, such as treatment effectiveness or expectations provided by the transmission model, are valid.

out monitoring and evaluation activities is that information from these actions can improve understanding of process, model and intervention uncertainties such that we may be able to iteratively or adaptively revise, update and alter our intervention strategies, including reassessing initially set targets and thresholds, to successfully facilitate the attainment of set programme objectives (Parma and NCEAS working group on population management, 1998; Shea et al., 2002; Walters, 1986; Williams et al., 2001).

3. MATHEMATICAL MODELS AND THE DESIGN OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION PLANS Monitoring facilitates the successful evaluation of a parasite intervention programme by providing information on changes in indicators of the underlying parasite system, whereas evaluation is the process by which monitoring data is used to assess the effectiveness of an implemented programme as well as to guide and improve management to achieve desired outcomes (Elzinga et al., 2001; Gibbs et al., 1999; Habicht et al., 1999; Maddox et al., 1999; Mulder et al., 1999). These definitions support the hypothesis that monitoring and evaluation are most useful when both

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are purpose oriented (i.e., have clear targets) and when objectives of a parasite intervention programme, and its monitoring indicators, are closely related to the underlying infectious disease transmission process they are intended to mirror (Maddox et al., 1999; Tolle et al., 1999).

3.1. Three roles of mathematical models in parasite monitoring programmes Informed decision making in any parasite control programme consists of four key elements: (1) setting of objectives, (2) specification of management options or actions, (3) understanding of the structure and dynamics of the parasite system to be managed, that is how the parasite population responds dynamically to perturbations, and (4) periodic monitoring of the results of management that informs and possibly adjusts subsequent management decisions (Kendall, 2001; Michael et al., 2006b). Figure 3.1 summarizes how parasite transmission models can be used to address

1. Setting goals and targets

7. Feedback to management

2. Management actions

6. Research

Filariasis transmission model

5. Interpretation/ assessment of management

3. Selection of indicators

4. Monitoring outcomes

FIGURE 3.1 The central role of the parasite transmission model in integrating management actions and monitoring data for providing policy- and management-relevant support to the design and monitoring of parasite control programmes. Models can help define endpoint targets for intervention goals, predict the effects of management actions, aide the selection of outcomes and indicators for monitoring and guide interpretation of monitoring data. Feedback from model-based evaluation of monitoring outcomes will be vital for adapting and refining both management actions and the model (via revealing topics for research).

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these elements and hence provide a framework for supporting the design of parasite control monitoring and evaluation plans. Specifically, these models can aide the development of such plans via their ability to unveil information in the following ways: (1) determination of intervention endpoint targets to meet control programme objectives (see Table 3.2) and provision of predictions regarding the expected magnitude of changes in the states of the parasite system under various interventions (Michael et al., 2004, 2006a); (2) determination and exploration of the roles of the major indicators for monitoring effectiveness and (3) supporting interpretation of monitoring results to improve programme management for accomplishing successful parasite control (Maddox et al., 1999; Tolle et al., 1999). In addition, by providing feedback to both management and research needs, we may also use monitoring results in conjunction with model refinement to revise and update our understanding of the population dynamics of parasite transmission and control as well as for assessing possible alternative or recently discovered control strategies (Fig. 3.1).

4. MODELS AND QUANTIFYING INTERVENTION ENDPOINT TARGETS 4.1. Parasite elimination endpoints: Vector biting thresholds and worm break points The articulation of clear and precise programme objectives is a fundamental requirement of any parasite control programme since by unambiguously describing the desired endpoint or state of parasitic infection, for example whether elimination, eradication or control of infection or disease is desired, they not only provide the benchmarks against which the progress or success of the programme will be judged but also contribute to the conceptual features of the monitoring and evaluation plan [specifically, what ought to be measured and where, the frequency and duration of such measurements, what the optimal sample size for undertaking reliable monitoring ought to be and when success could be declared to have been attained (Table 3.2)]. As noted above, the first contribution of mathematical models of parasite transmission to this question is that they facilitate the analysis and estimation of thresholds signifying desired endpoints (Anderson and May, 1991; Michael et al., 2006a; Woolhouse, 1992), and thus to the determination of scientifically defensible and measurable indicators of these thresholds. This role of transmission models in aiding the construction of the objective function of the programme (Kendall, 2001; Michael et al., 2004) has been highlighted by the results presented in Michael et al. (2006a). In particular, these show how

TABLE 3.2 Potential objectives of interventions against lymphatic filariasis, monitoring targets and the design of monitoring plan (after Michael et al., 2006b) Objective

Definition

Monitoring targets

Design of monitoring programme

Disease control

Reduction of morbidity to a locally acceptable level

Infection threshold (prevalence or intensity) at which disease is negligible

Elimination/ Eradication

Reduction of the incidence of infection to zero

Infection break point prevalence/intensity in human or vector hosts or vector biting threshold

Repeated monitoring required until and following target attainment to maintain infection below target levels. Frequency of monitoring related to both initial endemicity and the rate of reinfection following the attainment of disease control target. Repeated monitoring required until target attainment, and following this to ensure certification requirements. For elimination, monitoring needs to continue to prevent re-establishment of infection from untreated regions. Note that monitoring will cease only if coordinated interventions at the regional or global levels occur to ensure parasite eradication. Frequency of monitoring is related to initial endemicity.

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mathematical analyses of models of lymphatic filariasis transmission enable detection of the two elimination thresholds for use as targets in those programmes aiming to eliminate infection—one related to the infection transmission process from vectors and the other to worm infection levels in the human host (Anderson and May, 1991; Woolhouse, 1992)—and allow estimation of the values of potential indicators of these thresholds, namely the threshold annual vector biting density from the mosquito population (Fig. 3.2A) and the break point microfilaraemia prevalence in the human host (Fig. 3.2B). These analyses highlight that the derivation of such ‘infection thresholds’ essentially requires an analysis of the dynamic properties of the parasite transmission system (Anderson and May, 1991), as these variables represent stability or persistence components of (such) dynamical systems (Deredec and Courchamp, 2003; Pugliese and Tonetto, 2004; Pugliese et al., 1998). Note also that an important insight afforded by this modelling analysis, otherwise obscured, is that the specific indicator values of such thresholds (i.e., the break point microfilaria prevalence and threshold vector biting densities) will be strongly dependent on particulars of the density—dependent mechanisms governing parasite infection in the human and local vector hosts and the degree of aggregation of infection in different endemic communities (Anderson and May, 1991; Duerr et al., 2005; Michael et al., 2006a,b). This suggests that elimination targets in the case of filariasis are very likely to be sensitive to local variations in both these processes. The import of this result for filariasis elimination is that the estimation and setting of locally varying endpoint targets will be necessary in different endemic areas. Nonetheless, as highlighted previously (Duerr et al., 2005; Michael et al., 2006a; Pichon, 2002), at least in the case of the annual vector transmission biting threshold density, the present modelling-derived figures [833 and 2375 bites per person per year estimated for culicine and anopheline vectors respectively (Fig. 3.2A)] could be taken to represent the lowest benchmark values, which may be required to be set by the global programme for securing the worldwide eradication of filariasis by vector control. This is in contrast to the situation in the case of worm break point values, whereby modelling work conducted thus far suggests that it might be more prudent to specify and use break point microfilaraemia prevalence or intensity figures that more closely reflect average infection aggregation measures observed in a locality (Michael et al., 2006a). This will make these threshold values higher or lower than the global estimate of 0.5% microfilaraemia prevalence depicted in Fig. 3.2B for a particular region. The identification and quantification of the major density-dependent processes regulating infection in the vector and host populations, improved understanding of factors underlying parasite aggregation and

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Overall mf prevalence (%)

0 100 ⫻ 100

1 ⫻ 103

10 ⫻ 103

100 ⫻ 103

1 ⫻ 106

ABR (log10 scale) B Mean number of infective larvae per vector (L)

1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 0

Mean number of adult worms per person (w)

FIGURE 3.2 (A) Relationship depicting the overall community Wuchereria bancrofti microfilarial (mf) prevalence (%) as a function of the annual biting rate (ABR) on a log10 scale. Symbols denote published data from single communities in areas with culicine (circles), Aedes (crosses), anopheline (filled triangles) and mixed culicine–anopheline (inverted open triangles) parasite transmitting mosquito vectors. Lines portray the best-fitting population dynamic models relating host community infection ABR to the observed data from the culicine–Aedes (dashed line) and anopheline-mixed anopheline/ culicine (solid line) transmission sites, respectively (see Michael et al., 2006a for details

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the derivation of transmission models incorporating such processes, represent urgent current research priority areas in filariasis epidemiology if more pertinent regional values of these thresholds are to be estimated and applied realistically in control programmes. Until such data and modelling results become available, current estimates of infection break points may be considered as first approximations to be used in a precautionary manner (Gollier and Treich, 2003).

4.2. Vector infection thresholds Although the above thresholds represent the major parasite elimination thresholds in vector-borne infections (Anderson and May, 1991), there has been increasing recent interest in determining if larval infection thresholds exist in the vector population that could be used as monitoring targets for assessing the elimination of lymphatic filariasis. There are two principal reasons for this interest. First, larval infection thresholds rather than vector biting densities represent the parasite elimination target for drug intervention programmes. Second, xenomonitoring tools, such as the parasite DNA-based PCR poolscreen method (Fischer et al., 2003;

of data, model structure and fitting procedures). The fits indicate the occurrence of a threshold biting value of 833 bites for the culicineâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Aedes data set, and a corresponding value of 2,375 for the anopheline-mixed vector transmission dataset. (B) Phase-plane analysis of a basic transmission model for lymphatic filariasis indicating the existence of a breakpoint worm load in the human host below which transmission is interrupted. The depicted equilibrium numerical solutions are for the basic model assuming that filarial worms are polygamous and are distributed in a negative binomial manner among hosts. The straight line represents values for the mean number of infective larvae, L, and the corresponding mean number of filarial worms per person, W, for which dW/dt Âź 0, while the curved line represents values of W and L for which dL/dt Âź 0. Points of intersection represent equilibrium solutions for both W and L. The arrows indicate the directions of changes in W and L starting from initial non-equilibrium values. These depicted dynamical trajectories indicate that the equilibrium solution at the origin is stable, as is the endemic equilibrium, W*. In between these points lies an unstable equilibrium, the breakpoint, WB. The dashed line passing through the unstable breakpoint indicates the boundary between the two stable states, and governs which equilibrium values of W and L are reached for given initial values of these variables. Using reasonable values for density-dependent factors regulating infection in both the human and vector hosts together with a mean mid-point value obtained from published data for the parameter K of the negative binomial distribution model describing parasite distribution in hosts and a function relating mean worm intensity to prevalence, model analyses suggest that worm break points might be as low as 0.5% mf prevalence for culicine-mediated filariasis (details in Michael et al., 2006a).

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Rao et al., 2006; Williams et al., 2002), that feature high throughput and sensitivity may offer a more reliable and cost-effective monitoring tool for determining the interruption of parasite transmission compared to methods based on measurement of infection in humans. Theoretically, larval infection (presence of microfilariae to L3 larvae in the mosquito) thresholds may arise in vector populations as a result of (1) the dynamic interrelationship between the prevalence of infectiousness, vector life expectancy and the latent or development period of a parasite in the vector (Fig. 3.3A), and (2) the functional forms of the processes governing the development of L3 infection from ingested microfilariae (Snow and Michael, 2002; Snow et al., 2006). Unfortunately, at the present time, field mosquito infection data sufficient for both validating these predictions and estimating the infection thresholds below which infective (L3) infections do not develop are scarce, but our preliminary analysis of the available data depicted in Fig. 3.3B indicates the possibility that such thresholds could occur in vector populations for filariasis under natural field settings. Again, more data providing parallel information on vector filarial infection versus infective rates from areas differing in the primary transmitting mosquito species are required to estimate this threshold, if parasite elimination endpoints based on quantifying infection prevalence in vector populations by tools, such as the PCR-dependent poolscreen method, are to be successfully applied in filariasis elimination monitoring programmes.

4.3. Disease control targets Given that the ultimate health dividend of parasite eradication could be large (Ramaiah and Das, 2004; Ramaiah et al., 2000), this objective represents the socially optimal intervention policy for lymphatic filariasis. Nevertheless, this optimality can be tempered by (1) the marginal cost (often likely to be much larger than the average cost) of targeting the last few individuals to meet any set elimination or eradication criteria, (2) the technical feasibility of maintaining adequate population coverage with Mass Drug Administration (MDA) necessary to achieve interruption of transmission within the mooted period of 4â&#x20AC;&#x201C;to 6 years and (3) whether the population ecology of infection permits eradication in finite time (Barrett and Hoel, 2004; Gersovitz and Hammer, 2003, 2004; Gyldmark and Alban, 1998). These considerations suggest that in certain cases, especially where lymphatic filariasis endemicity is high and budgetary constraints apply, it may be desirable to adopt intervention strategies aimed at reducing infection to levels sufficiently low to prevent the occurrence of disease in the community, even though in the absence of interventions a state with a low positive level of infection is sustained.

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A Prevalence of L3 infection %

0.9 0.8

r=5

0.7 0.6

r = 10

0.5

r = 15

0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0

(i)

B 5.00 4.00

(ii)

3.00 2.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 Vector infection rate % (mf - L3)

Vector infective rate %

Vector infective rate % (L3)

5 10 15 Vector life span (days)

1.40 1.20 1.00 0.80 0.175% 0.60 0.40 0.20 0.00 0.00 2.00 4.00 Vector infection rate %

FIGURE 3.3 (A) The relationship between the prevalence of infectious vectors (positive for L3 larvae) and vector life expectancy (1/b) for varying infection latent periods, r. Prevalence of infectious vectors (y0 ) is related to vector infection (y) by the model: y0 Âź [y exp( br)]/(b Ăž y), where 1/b denotes vector life expectancy and r represents the infection latent period. Lines are model predictions assuming y, the vector infection prevalence, to be 5.0% and denote that short vector life expectancy and long latent periods can result in very low prevalences of infectious vectors even when infection prevalence is high (Anderson and May, 1991). (B) Observed relationship between vector L3 infective and infection prevalences for W. bancrofti infections in mosquito vectors. Data are from the published literature assessing these infection variables in wild caught mosquito samples (Aslamkhan and Wolfe, 1972; Basu et al., 1965; Bockarie et al., 1998; Bushrod, 1979; Chand et al., 1961a,b; Dzodzomenyo et al., 1999; Gubler and Battacharya, 1974; Hati et al., 1989; Michael et al., 2001; Nair et al., 1960; Pawar and Mittal, 1968; Rajagopalan et al., 1977; Ramaiah et al., 1989; Rao et al., 1976, 1981; Rozeboom et al., 1968)

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Carrying out an epidemiological analysis of observed data on the relationship between the overall prevalence of chronic filarial disease (combined lymphoedema and hydrocele cases) and microfilarial infection in communities to estimate the threshold infection level below which chronic disease is negligible, in conjunction with mathematical model predictions of filariasis reinfection, can allow the examination of the value of employing infection control as an intervention option in the control of lymphatic filariasis (E.M., M.N.M.-L. and J.W.K., unpublished observations). Figure 3.4A shows the observed association of prevalence of microfilarial infection (standardized to reflect the sampling of 1 ml of blood in order to maximize the sensitivity of infection detection) and prevalence of filariasis-related chronic disease, based on data complied from published field studies from the filarial endemic regions that yielded a sufficiently large number of these studies, namely sub-Saharan Africa, India and other Asia (apart from India and China). Although portraying some degree of between-region variation, the data indicate the occurrence globally of an overall positive but non-linear association between chronic disease and filarial infection at the community level, with chronic disease apparently constant up to a threshold microfilaria prevalence level and then increasing positively with microfilaria prevalence (Fig. 3.4A). Such a disease-infection pattern suggests the operation of an infection dose-response function in the development of filarial disease, whereby in communities with low-infection prevalence the observed chronic disease may be due to causes other than filariasis while disease is attributable to filarial infection only above a specific microfilaria threshold (van der Werf et al., 2002). The microfilaria prevalence threshold, below which the risk of filariasis-associated disease is zero, can be empirically estimated from the data depicted in Fig. 3.4A via the fit of a logistic regression-based dose-response model incorporating a threshold parameter (Hunt and Rai, 2005; Ulm, 1991; Whitehead et al., 2002). The curve in the figure shows the predictions of the best-fitting of these models, and indicates that a preliminary threshold mf prevalence value that could be used as a target for disease control in filariasis may lie in the region of 3.50% at the scale of using a 1-ml mf sampling blood volume. Figure 3.4B shows how using predictions of a mathematical model of filariasis transmission (Chan et al., 1998; Michael et al., 2004; Norman et al., 2000) on the annual effects of the two major mass-treatment regimens from different endemic regions and mix of vector species. Graph ii is to provide a better resolution of the relationship at the lower range of infection values. Vertical arrow indicates the infection region where the infection threshold for development of infectiousness may occur in these data. Given the limited nature of the available data, this is estimated by eye here and so provides only preliminary evidence for the occurence of a threshold.

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Chronic disease prevalence (%)

0 0

20 30 mf prevalence (%)

0.12

Proportion mf +ve

0.10

0.08

0.06

0.04

60% 80% 95%

0.02

0.00 0

Time (years)

FIGURE 3.4 (A) The association between prevalence of W. bancrofti microfilarial (mf) infection and prevalence of combined lymphoedema and hydrocele disease in filarial endemic communities from sub-Saharan Africa (◊), Asia other than India (○) and India ( ). Field study (n ¼ 81) references are given in E.M., M.N.M.-L. and J.W.K. (unpublished observations). All mf prevalence values have been standardized to reflect sampling of 1-ml blood volumes using a transformation factor of 1.150 and 1.375 for values originally estimated using 100- or 20-ml blood volumes, respectively (factors derived using

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[combined diethylcarbamazine and albendazole (DEC/ALB) and combined ivermectin and albendazole (IVM/ALB)] currently proposed for filariasis control on mean community microfilaria prevalence following a 5-year annual mass intervention programme in relation to microfilaria threshold targets for either signifying parasite elimination [set to be around 0.5% prevalence here (Michael et al., 2006a)] or disease control (i.e., 3.50% microfilaria prevalence) can allow an examination of the usefulness of implementing the latter strategy as an intervention option against filariasis. The simulations in the figure are all based on a moderately high overall community pre-control microfilaria prevalence of 10%, and for each treatment regimen (drug efficacy parameters are given in the legend to the figure), are illustrated for MDA coverage values of 65%, 80% and 95%, respectively. The results show that while both these regimens, for all the three treatment coverages considered, failed to data from Dreyer et al. (1996), McMahon et al. (1979), Moulia-Pelat et al. (1992) and Sabry (1991)]. The association of infection with disease is described by the following logistic regression model incorporating a threshold parameter (Bender, 1999; Ulm, 1991):

log

p a X t Âź for a Ăž bĂ°x tĂ&#x17E; X>t 1 p

where p is the probability of the occurrence of combined disease in the community, t is the threshold value of the risk factor, X (i.e., mf prevalence), a defines the baseline morbidity prevalence due to non-filarial causes and b describes the degree of association between infection and disease. This model assumes that the risk of an event (chronic disease here) is constant below the threshold t and increases according to the logistic equation above t. The model was fitted to the data using maximum likelihood estimation methods assuming a binomial distribution. The curve shows the best-fit model for the data with estimated values for a and t of 1.07% (95% confidence limits: 0.21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1.93%) and 3.49% (95% confidence limits: 1.36â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5.62%), respectively. (B) Simulation results showing annual changes in overall community mf prevalence predicted by the EPIFIL model for filariasis transmission (Chan et al., 1998; Michael, 2002; Michael et al., 2004; Norman et al., 2000) following a 5-year annual mass intervention programme with either the DEC/ALB (solid lines) or the IVM/ALB (dashed lines) drug regimen. Initial community mf prevalence set at 10%, and for each regimen predictions are shown for treatment coverages of 60%, 80% and 95%, respectively (portrayed by curves going from top to bottom, respectively, for each regimen). Upper horizontal dashed line shows the disease control mf threshold of 3.49%, while the lower line depicts the parasite elimination threshold of 0.5% mf prevalence. All figures are given at the scale of 1-ml blood sampling volume. Drug efficacy values: DEC/ALBâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;55% worm kill, 95% mf cured and 6 months mf suppression; IVM/ALBâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;35% worm kill, 99% mf cured and 9 months mf suppression (Michael et al., 2004).

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achieve the parasite elimination target, each (even in the case of the least effective IVM/ALB regimen given at a relatively low coverage of 60%) achieved the disease control target of 3.50% microfilaria prevalence before 5 years. An additional feature is that following the end of the treatment programme, the rates of rebound of infection (given that transmission has not been interrupted) are also predicted to be slow. For the IVM/ALB regimen with only 60% population coverage, infection levels reduced to 2.35% are predicted to remain under the disease control threshold for at least 7 years after cessation of the 5-year intervention programme. For the more effective DEC/ALB regimen even at moderate coverage rates, infection levels remained below the threshold level for more than 10 years (Fig. 3.4B). This result is largely a function of the relatively long life span of the adult filarial worm in the human host (Michael, 2000, 2002; Michael et al., 2004) [set in these simulations to 8 years (Chan et al., 1998)], and indicates that a strategy aimed at disease control by reducing infection prevalence to below the disease threshold is also likely to be highly stable at least for those communities afflicted with moderate to moderately high pre-control infection levels. These slow parasite reinfection rates will reduce the need for frequent retreatment and monitoring activities (Section 5.1), and would also retard the potential evolution of drug resistance (Michael et al., 2004). These results highlight a current need not only to reappraise intervention objectives against filariasis but also to evaluate where and when disease control may play a contributory role towards achieving parasite elimination. Given that monitoring designs are intrinsically linked to the selected endpoint targets (Table 3.2), carrying out such an analysis will also be key to the development and implementation of the relevant optimal monitoring strategy for assessing the progress and success of an anti-parasite intervention in a particular endemic situation.

5. MONITORING CHANGES IN INFECTION LEVELS DUE TO INTERVENTIONS FOR AIDING MANAGEMENT DECISION MAKING Apart from aiding assessments of whether an implemented intervention has successfully attained desired objectives, an equally important goal of monitoring parasite control is to facilitate timely evaluations to determine if an ongoing intervention is on target to attain set endpoint objectives or else requires the introduction of mitigating measures to rectify observed deviations from expected declines in infection (Elzinga et al., 2001; Maddox et al., 1999; Michael et al., 2006b; Mulder et al., 1999). Two major strategic uses

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of model predictions of the dynamic impact of an intervention for aiding the undertaking of such monitoring are emphasized here.

5.1. Assessing intervention progress and specification of the frequency of monitoring Given that the major impetus of infection trend monitoring during a parasite control programme is to assess intervention progress towards a set goal, the first utility of models in this type of monitoring is that they can generate expected values or expected time trends of indicator values of a parasite population between an observation time, t, and its state projected at time, t Ăž D, given some management action. This contributes to assessment of progress because only by comparing observed with such expected values or trends can a determination be made about whether the outcomes or measured effectiveness of an intervention programme are in line with expectations, and hence whether the programme is on track to achieve set targets, for example whether as exemplified in Fig. 3.5A an MDA programme will meet the target of 0.5% mf within 6 years given initial endemicity level and drug coverage patterns. A key model-based quantity to aid this decision making is the specification of management triggers or action thresholds (ats), below which the observed parasite population sample means/prevalence or trajectory following episodes of an intervention is deemed to be acceptable [in terms of enabling the intervention programme to achieve a set target threshold (Binns and Nyrop, 1992; Binns et al., 2000)]. This decision boundary, ideally based on the accuracy and variability of chosen indicators, may lead to the setting of an upper uncertainty band around model predictions, such as the 10% error band shown around the modelled microfilaria prevalence trajectory in Fig. 3.5A, to serve as the ats for assisting decision making on this component of control programme assessment (see also Section 6.3.1 regarding the statistics underlying the use of thresholds for aiding decision making in parasite control management). Second, as also shown in Fig. 3.5A, this combination of model predictions of the impact of an intervention, observed data and the specification of an at can also allow the estimation of the optimal periodicity or frequency of monitoring required for the timely correction of any observed deficiencies in programme effectiveness. This is based on the premise that if the observed values of an indicator (say prevalence p) are greater than at at any monitoring time during the period of intervention, the implemented intervention is unlikely to achieve the corresponding endpoint target, and hence would require the triggering of a remedial management action (Binns and Nyrop, 1992; Binns et al., 2000; Dent, 2000; Walters, 1986).

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Proportion mf +ve

0.10

0.08

0.06

0.04

0.02

0.00 0

4 5 2 3 Time (years of annual MDA)

mf prevalence (%)

15 10 5 0 1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Years of annual MDA

FIGURE 3.5 (A) Illustrative EPIFIL model predictions of the rate of decline of microfilaria (mf) prevalence due to annual Mass Drug Administration (MDA) with DEC/ALB at 80% coverage from a baseline pre-control prevalence of 10% to demonstrate how predicted effects may be used to examine and optimize monitoring of an intervention. The solid curve in the graph denotes the mean expected population trend, while the dashed curve portrays the upper limit of a 10% error band around the mean trajectory, which in this example also serves as an action threshold for initiating remedial action. Any observed parasite prevalence above this threshold during the intervention period would be deemed to be unacceptable and hence would trigger the taking of remedial action (see text). The circles joined by dotted lines show simulation results of the impacts of three different monitoring protocols for assessing the decline in filarial infection following annual MDA by the DEC/ALB regimen. Effects on infection are shown for an initial drug coverage of 50% per year until the first monitoring bout at year 1 for the annual (open circles), year 2 for the biennial (closed circles) and year 3 for the triennial protocols (greyed circles), as well as for

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When this model-based triggering threshold is combined with parasite control dynamics (e.g., depletion and subsequent reinfection or recrudescence of infection following each annual treatment) and various monitoring protocols describing different periodicities of resampling (e.g., once a year, once every two years, once in three years), joint simulations of these monitoring plans and changes in parasite population size allow an assessment of the required frequency of monitoring, as illustrated by the results shown in Fig. 3.5A. Essentially, this is based on the fact that the frequency of monitoring necessary to assess whether an intervention will attain its set target is a function of how quickly infection rebounds in a community before elimination occurs following intervention episodes (Michael et al., 2006b). Although obviously dependent on the initial levels of falloff from the optimal coverage value of 80%, the results in Fig. 3.5A indicate that for filariasis, the optimal monitoring protocol may be one based on either an annual or a biennial but not on a triennial monitoring scheme. This is further illustrated by the results depicted in Fig. 3.5B that portray a realworld application of using model predictions and an annual monitoring protocol to track progress and determine if remedial management actions are required in order to ensure filariasis elimination in a community administered with a mass DEC programme in Tanzania (Michael et al., 2004).

5.2. Role of spatial distribution of infection for monitoring and evaluation The spatial distribution of a parasite may be considered to have two principal implications for monitoring large-scale parasite control programmes. First, parasite spatial distributions play a fundamental role in guiding the efficient and scientifically valid sampling of representative sites for monitoring and evaluating the effects of control (Brooker and Michael, 2000; Brooker et al., 2004; Rogers and Williams, 1993). This includes the selection of appropriate sentinel sites for conducting follow-up monitoring of the effects of an intervention within treatment the subsequent increases in drug coverage to 85% (after year 1), 90% (after year 2) and 95% (after year 3) for the remainder of the 6-year programme in the case of the annual, biennial and triennial monitoring protocols, respectively. The results suggest that the optimal monitoring protocol for the successful management of filarial MDA programmes may be one in which monitoring is carried out biennially (see text). (B) Using model predictions of the effect of an intervention to support decision making in filariasis elimination. Open circles denote the observed change in mf prevalence following a 6-month mass DEC treatment administered for 2 years to an endemic community in Tanzania with an initial mf prevalence of 30% (Simonsen et al., 2004). The solid line shows the prediction of the EPIFIL model incorporating the observed coverages (which ranged from 67.9% to 86.5%) up to the end of year 2 and the average of these coverages (76.8%) thereafter, while the dashed line indicates the predicted decline in mf prevalence when the coverage is increased to 85% after year 2. The horizontal dashed line in the graph denotes the 0.5% mf threshold.

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administrative units, which has been mandated by the World Health Organization to form the major basis of evaluating the effectiveness of filariasis intervention programmes in endemic countries (World Health Organization, 1998a,b). Such model-based approaches do not rely on random sampling, but on the selection of sites representative of different classes or strata of parasite transmission dynamics, within which both the design of interventions to interrupt transmission and the response of the parasite system to such interventions are comparable. The concept of spatial patterns in parasite distribution is central to planning such monitoring schemes since by taking account of the spatial distribution of parasitic infection it facilitates the selection of the appropriately stratified sentinel sites or communities for undertaking monitoring (Binns et al., 2000; Venette et al., 2002; Yoccoz et al., 2001). Figure 3.6 (which is plate 3.6 in the separate Colour Plate Section) illustrates this impact of spatial heterogeneity by showing how the mapping of pretreatment baseline microfilaria prevalence data from communities in conjunction with geostatistical modelling carried out in a geographic information system (GIS) can provide a powerful empirical tool for undertaking the selection of these sites for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of filariasis control at the district level in an endemic country. Succinctly, this method entails first the mapping of observed mean microfilaria prevalence data by community spatial location, followed by geostatistical analysis of the mapped data to derive predictive maps defining and stratifying areas with similar ecological and autocorrelated risk factors (Fig. 3.6). The overlaying of such risk maps on village location maps will then facilitate the stratified (on different parasite transmission risks) random sampling (which may or may not be based on equal probability sampling) of sites to carry out sentinel monitoring activities (Fig. 3.6). Note, however, that this method relies on the availability of spatial data on pretreatment infection prevalence as well as the existence of up-to-date community map and census information. If pretreatment infection data are not available, a generalized stratified sampling design could still be employed based on using other ecologically meaningful categories for stratification [e.g., via the mapping of ecological/climatic risk factors associated with filariasis infection prevalence (Lindsay and Thomas, 2000)]. Once geographic stratification has been achieved (Fig. 3.6), the number of sentinel sites that need to be monitored for evaluating programme effectiveness per stratum will depend on the expected within- and between-stratum variation in the effects of interventions on infection and the magnitude of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;noiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the parasite system and in its control dynamics (Binns et al., 2000; Yoccoz et al., 2001). This suggests that a more systematic investigation of such variations will therefore also be an important prerequisite to the reliable application of the proposed sentinel site approach to carrying out the

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monitoring of filariasis control in the field. The impact of spatial heterogeneity on estimating optimal sample sizes for reliably determining infection levels or changes in these levels at the community level is discussed further in Section 6.3.3 below. The second implication of parasite spatial distribution is less well recognized. As depicted in Fig. 3.7, this influence of spatial heterogeneity in infection arises as a result of the positive relationships between variations in the pre-control prevalence of infection and (1) the duration of an intervention required to meet a set target (such as shown for the annual DEC/ALB MDA programme for lymphatic filariasis in Fig. 3.7A) and (2) the optimal population coverage of an intervention needed to achieve a particular programmatic endpoint (Fig. 3.7B). The required time frame of an intervention is linked to the design of an effective monitoring programme principally because, as noted in Section 5.1, it can influence the frequency of monitoring episodes that may be required to be performed for both tracking the progress of the intervention and providing sufficiently early warning of any deficiencies (Binns et al., 2000). This is perceived by comparing the results in Fig 3.5A versus Fig. 3.7C. Thus, the simulations depicted in Fig. 3.7C show that although a longer period of annual MDA using the DEC/ALB regimen is required to meet the set 0.5% microfilaria prevalence elimination threshold when the pre-control prevalence is comparatively high, paradoxically the optimal monitoring frequency need only be once every three years compared to the higher frequency (once very two years) required in the case of the shorter period of intervention predicted for the same MDA regimen in situations when initial infection prevalences are lower (Fig. 3.5A). This finding underlines a basic outcome for monitoring infection trends between control programmes with variable time lengths: in general, the frequency or intensity of monitoring will be inversely related to the duration of a parasite intervention programme. Combining this model-based monitoring design with filariasis distribution maps to derive more precise locally varying frequencies of monitoring bouts can thus potentially reduce the overall costs of monitoring a national-level control programme. The positive (though non-linear) association between the optimal drug coverage and the level of pre-control mf infection, which occurs for an anti-filarial annual MDA programme aiming to meet a set target within a given time frame portrayed in Fig. 3.7B, indicates that an estimation of the spatial distribution of filariasis will also be key to undertaking both implementation and effectiveness monitoring (Table 3.1) of control programmes in different parts of a country. This is based on the observation that spatial variations in pre-control infection prevalence will require the need for implementing different localized optimal coverage patterns with corresponding monitoring plans. The impact of parasite spatial distributions on control programming and monitoring, despite long

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FIGURE 3.7 (A) Predictions of the EPIFIL model of the number of years of intervention required by a DEC/ALB annual Mass Drug Administration (MDA) regimen at 80% coverage to achieve a target parasite elimination threshold of 0.5% microfilaria (mf) prevalence for a range of pre-treatment community endemicity (mf %) levels. Drug efficacy values: 55% worm kill, 95% mf cured and 6 months mf suppression following each treatment episode. (B) Model simulations of the optimal drug coverages needed by the annual mass DEC/ALB regimen to achieve the 0.5% mf prevalence threshold in relation to variations in pre-treatment community mf prevalences. (C) Similar to Fig. 5(A) except that the solid curve shows EPIFIL model predictions of the mf prevalence trajectory in response to annual mass MDA with the DEC/ALB regimen given at 80% coverage to a community with an initial pre-control mf prevalence of 25%. The open circles joined by dotted lines show that carrying out a triennial monitoring protocol would be sufficient for assessing the decline in filarial infection until the target of 0.5% mf prevalence is reached in this case for an initial drug coverage of 50% per year until the first monitoring bout at year 3 and subsequent increases in drug coverage to 90% (after year 3) for the remainder of the intervention programme.

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being acknowledged as important (Brooker and Michael, 2000), has yet to be fully realized in the management of parasite control.

6. MATHEMATICAL MODELS AND THE SELECTION OF MONITORING INDICATORS The vital importance of choosing the right infection indicators for monitoring the effects of a parasite control programme is patently obvious since for most parasitic diseases, because of the difficulties in observing adult parasite numbers directly, intervention impacts can only be evaluated in the context of induced changes in one or more indicators of the underlying variations in the parasite population size. The high value of this one step for the ultimate success or failure of any parasite monitoring programme is underlined by fact that the use of wrong indicators could indicate programme failure even when a programme has been successfully implemented and vice versa (Mulder et al., 1999). Table 3.3 summarizes and lists the essential properties required by indicators for aiding the effective monitoring of parasite control programmes. Here, we describe how mathematical models of parasite transmission can play an important role in resolving these criteria, and hence facilitate the informed selection of the most appropriate markers for monitoring lymphatic filariasis control.

6.1. Models and the impact of diagnostic accuracy of indicators for monitoring filariasis control A fundamental feature of using indicators of infection for monitoring the effect of an intervention on parasite prevalence is that the estimated prevalence data will almost always represent the apparent infection prevalence simply because of the imperfect accuracy of available diagnostic tests TABLE 3.3 Essential properties of indicators for monitoring parasite control (after Michael et al., 2006b)

Their dynamics should parallel that of the underlying parasite population dynamics They can be accurately and precisely measured [i.e., have high diagnostic accuracy (high sensitivity and specificity)] The likelihood (or statistical power) for detecting a change in their magnitude is high given the rate of change in the state of the parasite population being monitored Demonstrate low natural variability The costs of their measurement are not prohibitive

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(Pepe, 2003; Zhou et al., 2002). The major outcome of this effect for programme evaluation is highlighted by the simulated impacts of an annual DEC/ALB MDA regimen on the prevalence of filarial infection presented in Fig. 3.8A, which show how the sensitivity of a diagnostic test for measuring infection can systematically generate underestimates of the true prevalence of infection to the extent that, when the sensitivity of the test is insufficiently low, it can suggest the successful attainment of parasite eradication thresholds when the true prevalence indicates that this has not been achieved. This result is a consequence of the detection of false negatives by diagnostic tests with less than perfect sensitivities even when specificities are very high or perfect as in the case of the present simulations. The lower dashed grey line in Fig. 3.8A furthermore indicates that if the sensitivity of a test changes as intervention progresses (e.g., sensitivities for detecting positive individuals may decline as infection intensity is sharply reduced due to intervention), this will significantly increase the error of declaring programme success leading to the incorrect decision to stop further interventions. Note also that the present results assume perfect specificity in filariasis diagnostic tests: any deficiencies in this parameter will decrease the positive predictive value (PPV) of a test and hence increase detection of false positives as infection prevalence declines due to interventions, further complicating the interpretation of test results for evaluating programme success. This inherent diagnostic dynamics of a parasite monitoring programme can also influence the optimal interval of any control monitoring plan through their effects on apparent durations of interventions required to meet set targets under different endemic conditions. These results thus indicate that estimates of filariasis prevalence must take the inherent performance (sensitivity and specificity) of a diagnostic test and possibly the change in community infection prevalence into account when they are used for programme evaluation. The first step here evidently relates to the crucial need for more reliably estimating the performance accuracy of currently proposed diagnostic tools for detecting filarial infection (Fischer et al., 2003; Lammie et al., 2004; Rao et al., 2006; Simonsen and Dunyo, 1999; Tobian et al., 2003; Williams et al., 2002). However, as pointed out before (de Vlas et al., 1993), empirical analytical methods normally also treat the performance properties of a diagnostic test as intrinsic, fixed characteristics of the test, and thus do not take account of the intervention dynamics of the underlying worm population. This underscores another potential application of transmission models in filariasis monitoring, namely, that using model predictions of changes in true filariasis prevalence in conjunction with observed prevalences generated by a given diagnostic test may offer an effective way forward to estimate the performance characteristics of currently proposed tools for diagnosing filariasis infection (de Vlas et al., 1993). For example, if specificity is not a problem, then test sensitivity can be easily estimated

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FIGURE 3.8 The impact of indicators and performance of diagnostic tools for monitoring filariasis control. (A) The sensitivity of a diagnostic test for quantifying change in infection prevalence over time. The solid line in the graph denotes EPIFIL model predictions of the rate of decline in the true mean microfilaria (mf) prevalence (see text) due to an annual DEC/ALB Mass Drug Administration (MDA) therapy given at 70% coverage to a community with an initial mf prevalence of 20%, while the dashed lines show the apparent declines in mf prevalence as a result of applying diagnostic tests for quantifying mf prevalence either with a sensitivity of 0.90% (upper dashed line) or as sensitivity declines progressively from 90% (lower dashed grey line). Apparent prevalences decline faster and appear to reach the endpoint target of 0.5% mf prevalence compared to the true prevalence as a result of the imperfect sensitivity of the diagnostic test. The apparent rate of decline in mf prevalence occurs even faster and the target is achieved more earlier when the test sensitivity is simulated to decrease by 10% each year of monitoring from 0.90% initially (redrawn from Michael et al., 2006b). Panels (B) and (C) show how by facilitating linkages between different parasite transmission components, mathematical models can also provide quantitative expectations

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using the equation: se Âź AP/TP, where AP is the apparent prevalence as estimated by the diagnostic test, TP is the true modelled prevalence [where this is modelled as presently as a function of both the underlying mean worm burden (M) and the distribution of worm loads between individuals (Chan et al., 1998; Norman et al., 2000)] and se denotes the sensitivity of the test (de Vlas et al., 1993). This finding suggests that developing frameworks integrating transmission models with assessments of diagnostic tool performances will provide a useful tool not only for evaluating diagnostic tests but also for interpreting the results of applying such tests to the monitoring of parasite control.

6.2. Selecting appropriate monitoring indicators Because models can describe dynamic relationships between various parasite system components and processes, thresholds and expectations of change (the effect size) due to interventions may also be defined on the bases of any currently proposed indicator of filarial infection and transmission (e.g., parasite antigenemia, antibody responses, vector infection rates), once linkages between these variables can be quantified. This role of models is illustrated in Fig. 3.8, which shows how changes in microfilaria prevalence due to the effects of a 5-year annual DEC/ALB MDA programme (at 80% coverage) is reflected by corresponding predictions of (1) changes in the age prevalence of circulating filarial antigen (CFA) in children up to 5 years of age following each annual mass treatment (Fig. 3.8B), and (2) yearly changes in mean L3 infection in vector populations (Fig. 3.8C). Thus, by combining this ability of models to predict interlinked changes or provide information on relative magnitudes of effect sizes in each specific parasite system component due to an intervention with estimates of natural variation in values of indicators of such changes, their sensitivities and costs of usage, it will be possible to facilitate the informed selection of the most appropriate indicators for monitoring the effects of control. This is achieved by assessing which of the available measures provide the highest precision and lowest variability, the greatest statistical power for detecting a significant change in the underlying parasite population size (which is linked to the magnitude of the effect size) and the least cost (see Section 6.4 for a more comprehensive data theoretical method that facilitates the selection of cost-effective indicators for parasite control management decision making by addressing these factors simultaneously). of change in infection/transmission (the effect size) due to intervention based on different measures of infection, such as antigenemia age-prevalence in children up to 5 years of age (redrawn from Michael et al., 2006b) (B) and vector infection indices (C).

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Reduction (%) in baseline mf prevalence

A further significant but little appreciated outcome of using models in this regard is illustrated by the results in Fig. 3.9. These show how mathematical models can guide the planning and execution of the second major type of monitoring involved in evaluating programme success, namely programme implementation or process monitoring (Table 3.1). While this type of monitoring normally addresses how well a programme has met planned activities to achieve an objective (Gyorkos, 2003; Habicht et al., 1999; Margoluis and Salafsky, 1998), the modelling results relating the primary parasite control programme activity of treatment or intervention coverage to effectiveness (Fig. 3.9) suggest that models also allow the use of observed coverage values as indicators to indirectly evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention programme. In particular, the modelbased estimation of optimal coverages required to achieve programme objectives for different strategies and endemic conditions (Michael et al., 2004) means that yardstick coverage values can be derived against which observed coverages at different time points may be compared to determine if acceptable progress is being made. The fact that coverage values can normally be calculated at the end of each annual MDA for each treated community indicates that annual and timely monitoring of both process and effectiveness of treatment programmes can be achieved in a cost-effective manner using this method. Validation of these findings, particularly how using coverage values compares with or adds to using 0.98 0.96 0.94 0.92 0.90 0.88 0.86 60

Drug coverage (%)

FIGURE 3.9 The relationship between population Mass Drug Administration (MDA) coverage with DEDC/ALB and the rate of decline in microfilaria (mf) prevalence from a baseline prevalence of 10% as predicted by the EPIFIL model. The horizontal dashed line represents the elimination threshold of 0.5% mf prevalence proportional to the baseline prevalence. The vertical dashed line denotes the optimal annual coverage required over 5 years to achieve the elimination threshold; any drop in coverage below this optimum will result in failure to meet the elimination target in 5 years (solid curve).

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other measures of programme effectiveness, is yet to be investigated and is suggested to be a research priority in lymphatic filariasis epidemiology and model-based programme evaluation studies.

6.3. Models and sampling for parasite monitoring Since monitoring the status or trend of an indicator essentially represents a problem in estimating the value of an unknown parameter (e.g., the state of the underlying parasite population), it is apparent that collection of data in monitoring programmes should be founded soundly on statistical sampling theory to ensure that adequate effort is being made to obtain sufficiently precise population estimates or to detect important changes. Sampling methodology and experimental design are huge topics, which cannot be adequately reviewed here. Several excellent papers in the context of ecological monitoring are noteworthy, including Binns and Nyrop (1992), Nyrop et al. (1999), Madden and Hughes (1999) and Venette et al. (2002). Several key features of sampling relevant to parasite monitoring are discussed below.

6.3.1. Estimation or hypothesis testing Making a distinction between these two statistical processes is important in a monitoring programme because it is linked to the purpose for which the sample data are collected, and will also determine the required sampling intensity or number of samples to be collected (Binns and Nyrop, 1992; Madden and Hughes, 1999; Nyrop et al., 1999). In brief, estimation procedures are driven by the following questions: how many samples are needed so that an estimate (of infection prevalence or density) is within some range of a true value, or how many samples are required so that an estimate has a specified level of precision? However, as noted in Section 5.1 , information on parasite prevalence or abundance should also be used to direct management actions in parasite control programmes, for example whether to either accept that an intervention is progressing as expected or if not to institute a remedial action, or whether an intervention has reduced infection (or not) below a specified endpoint threshold. This represents the use of monitoring data for the purpose of guiding programme decision making in parasite control (Madden and Hughes, 1999; Nyrop et al., 1999). Thus, compared to the goal of estimation, it is more informative for this purpose to ask how many samples are required so that the likelihoods of incorrect management decisions are acceptable (Nyrop et al., 1999). This is a hypothesis testing or classification problem as one is interested in testing the null hypothesis H0: p pc versus the alternative hypothesis H1: p > pc, in which pc is some critical value [e.g., the model-derived at in Section 5.1 or some endpoint threshold value (Sections 4.1 and 4.2)]. Because as with any hypothesis test, the probability of accepting the null hypothesis given any

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true value of p is governed by balancing the making of two types of errors: (1) rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true (falsely deciding that p > pc), called a Type I error; and (2) accepting the null hypothesis when it is false (falsely deciding that p pc), called a Type II error; sampling for classification will produce its own optimal sample size values that will turn out to be radically different from those for estimation (Binns et al., 2000). This conclusion has thus two major implications for developing effective parasite monitoring programmes. First, it indicates that sample size calculations must be linked to the question being asked by monitoring, whether this is for reliable estimation of parasite population size or for making decisions based on such estimations. Note that a clear understanding of this difference is of particular relevance to parasite monitoring as in general sample sizes required for classification problems will be feasibly smaller than those required for estimation problems (Fig. 3.10). Second, it can guide the selection of monitoring indicators based on the contributions they make to the statistical power of a monitoring programme to detect meaningful changes in infection values (Maddox et al., 1999; Mulder et al., 1999), as described in Section 6.3.2.

6.3.2. The statistical power of parasite monitoring programmes The power of a monitoring programme to detect an expected rate of change in infection is defined as its ability to detect the change when it occurs, that is power is statistically specified as 1 b, where b is the probability of committing a Type II error [falsely concluding that a difference or trend did not occur when it in fact did (see above)]. In general, the statistical power of a test is a function of the following: the sample size, N, variance of the estimated measures of infection, s2, which in turn is a combination of errors due to the inherent sampling variation in the parasite component being measured plus the detection error of the diagnostic tool used, effect size (the rate of change in infection that is to be detected) and a (the maximum rate of Type I error tolerated, concluding falsely that a difference or trend has occurred when it in fact has not), with power usually increasing with increasing N and effect size and decreasing with increasing s2 and a (Anderson, 1998; Elzinga et al., 2001; Mulder et al., 1999). These considerations indicate that the key, and indeed one of the most difficult, challenges in developing a parasite control monitoring programme with sufficient detection power is the determination of the effect size, that is the value of an indicator, or the magnitude of change in its value over some interval, that indicates a biologically significant impact of an intervention on parasite infection (Anderson, 1998; Gibbs et al., 1999; Mulder et al., 1999). Mathematical model predictions of the impact of interventions can manifestly help resolve this question in lymphatic filariasis via their ability to provide estimates of such effect sizes (and their variances) for various interventions (Michael et al., 2004, 2006a). Indicators

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FIGURE 3.10 Effective sizes of individual samples (n) and pools of samples (m) required to either estimate (curves) or detect (symbols) various infection proportions. Solid curve denotes the optimal individual sampling units (human or vector hosts) required to estimate varying infection proportions for a coefficient of variation of 20% around the mean proportion assuming a binomial distribution model. Dotted curve shows the corresponding individual sampling units required following the application of a finite population correction factor (FPC) to estimates portrayed by the solid curve. The dot-dashed and dashed curves are the optimal number of pools of samples (m) of size 30 individual units each (e.g., mosquitoes) required to estimate varying infection proportions for the same coefficient of variation of 20% assuming a simple binomial distribution of infection (dot-dashed curve) or a clustered distribution of infection (dashed curve) in the community. A value of 0.01 was used as the intracluster correlation coefficient to derive the estimates for the latter in this example. Infection aggregation will always raise the number of sample pools required to maintain a desired precision of infection proportion or prevalence estimation. The filled diamonds represent the effective individual sampling units required to detect either a larval infection prevalence of 0.2% [approximating the likely vector infection threshold (Fig. 3B)] or a microfilaria prevalence of 0.5% [denoting the likely worm break point prevalence (see text)] at a desired probability of 0.95% assuming a binomially distributed infection. The corresponding number of pools (of size 30 sampling units) to detect these proportions are portrayed by the closed squares (assuming that infection is distributed according to the binomial distribution model) and the open triangles (assuming clustered infection). Again aggregation of infection increases the number of sample pools required to detect infection at a desired probability of parasite detection (here illustrated for 95%). Sample size formulae are as given in Elzinga et al. (2001), Hughes et al. (1995), Madden and Hughes (1999) and Venette et al. (2002).

related to components of the parasite system that undergo the biggest or fastest rates of change as a result of an intervention, for example induced rates of change may be larger in the case of infection prevalence in humans than in mosquito populations; see Fig. 3.8A versus C, or change in

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abundance is more rapid and larger than change in infection prevalence (Anderson and May, 1991), should therefore represent the choice markers for monitoring as they would not only improve monitoring power but could also be used to reduce the required sampling effort.

6.3.3. The impacts of target population size and spatial infection patterns A clear understanding of the ratio of the size of the sampled population to the target population about which an inference is to be made is another important factor in devising optimal sampling plans given its direct bearing on both sample size determinations and in adjusting test statistics (Elzinga et al., 2001). For monitoring of filariasis control, primary inferences regarding infection status and change in this status are normally made for the total human or mosquito hosts in a community or village based on representative samples drawn at this level (although these are then secondarily aggregated to the district level by summarizing findings from a representative sample of these villages). The importance of sample population size (n) is that if this population is large relative to the target population (N) (and the rule of thumb is that the ratio n/N should not be more than 0.05, i.e. not more than 5% of the target population), then there is a need to apply a finite population correction factor that reduces the size of the standard error (Elzinga et al., 2001). This will enhance the precision of an estimate and thus reduce the sample size required for both estimation and hypothesis testing problems. The practical significance of this result is that sample sizes for estimating very low threshold infection prevalences, such as those concerned with the infection threshold in the mosquito vector population (0.175% from Fig. 3.3B), need not be as large as those determined by binomial models, which assume infinite populations (Fig. 3.10). This is an important insight given that such large sample sizes as determined routinely but inappropriately using the latter model will be limiting if the target host population size are likely to be small in some areas (as has been suggested for some vector species that transmit lymphatic filariasis). The intensity of sampling is also influenced by the spatial distribution of parasites in host populations (Hughes et al., 1995; Madden and Hughes, 1999). This is also illustrated in Fig. 3.10, which shows how the number of samples required to maintain a desired precision in parasite detection, for example 20%, will increase as the proportion of samples infected falls or as the degree of infection aggregation rises. This situation may exist even when assessment of infection is based on aggregates of populations, such as mosquito pools used in tools like the poolscreen PCR-tool for determining filarial infection in vector populations. The issues described above indicate that sampling plans must not only account for the objectives of the monitoring programme (estimation or

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classification), indicator variability and diagnostic performance, but should also consider the ecology of infection (host population size, parasite spatial distribution and expected or modelled effect sizes) if they are to aid effective parasite monitoring. Indeed, as can be appreciated from Fig. 3.10, when sampling size estimates are based on probability models that incorporate such information, an assessment can be made about whether a particular infection detection method (e.g., blood sampling or dissection of mosquitoes) may be feasibly used to estimate a required infection level (e.g., the various infection thresholds discussed here (Figs. 3.2A,B and 3.3B)]. In some cases, it may be expected that certain infection levels in the host population, for example the infection threshold in the vector population depicted in Fig. 3.3B, cannot be feasibly quantified by available and widely used diagnostic tools, for example mosquito dissection, with any reasonable precision due to the inordinately large sample sizes that would be necessary to achieve their estimation.

6.4. Applying a decision-theoretical approach to selecting cost-effective monitoring tools for assessing filariasis control It is essential from the perspectives of feasibility and sustainability that selected monitoring tools are cost-effective (Table 3.3). However, when assessing the cost-effectiveness of a monitoring tool for aiding the management of parasite control, it is important to not only consider the cost and performance of the tool, as is traditionally done, but also the costs of taking a management decision based on the data obtained with such a tool. Here, we show how model predictions of the effect of an intervention in conjunction with a decision-theoretical framework that sets the objective of minimizing the overall cost of monitoring and making a management decision can offer a useful method to achieve these dual goals and hence find the most cost-effective monitoring tool for evaluating filariasis control (Field et al., 2004; Mapstone, 1995; Williams et al., 2001). This approach is based on the expectation that failing to detect an abnormal impact of intervention on infection (a Type II error) during a monitoring bout will result in a serious failure in achieving a set programme target, while on the other hand, mistakenly concluding an aberrant effect of treatment (a Type I error) will usually cause a relatively smaller economic impact for an intervention programme (Fig. 3.11). The method thus involves the development of a cost function for carrying out a management decision based on three main components: (1) an estimate of the probability that an aberrant change in infection (compared to the expected effect size due to intervention) has occurred; (2) the probability that analysis of the monitoring data from using a particular diagnostic tool will correctly indicate whether that change has occurred and (3) the

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Expected change not met (d)

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R (1 − d)aR

−

R d(1 − b)R

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Management decision

Economic costs

FIGURE 3.11 Decision tree diagram for calculating the total expected cost of a parasite control programme management decision based on monitoring data. d, probability that a deviant response has occurred; a, Type I error rate; b, Type II error rate; R, cost of remedial action; V, economic cost of an undetected aberrant response.

monetary costs of actions triggered by the conclusions of the analysis (also referred to as ‘utility’). By constructing a decision tree that incorporates these components (Fig. 3.11), multiplying down the branches and summing across their termini, an expression for the overall expected cost of monitoring and management may be easily derived as (Field et al., 2004): E½C ¼ ð1 dÞaR þ d½ð1 bÞR þ bV þ M

ð1Þ

where E[C] is the expected total cost of monitoring and management, d is the prior expectation of an aberrant change in infection occurring given pre-control endemicity levels, programme implementation statistics and the dynamics of indicator data used (note here that the more rapid the parasite attribute measured by an indicator declines due to intervention, the greater the power of detecting it), a is the Type I error rate (probability of falsely detecting an aberrant response), b is the Type II error rate (probability of missing a real aberrant outcome), R is the cost of remedial action, V is the economic loss associated with an undetected aberrant response (i.e., in the present case, the costs of extra years of treatment required to ensure attainment of target or the economic costs associated

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with reinfection when elimination targets are missed) and M is the economic cost of carrying out monitoring. The monitoring tool giving rise to the least total overall cost of monitoring and management using expression (1) will thus represent the most cost-effective among available diagnostic tools for undertaking filariasis monitoring.

7. USING MONITORING DATA FOR PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT The arguments above indicate that monitoring programmes do not end merely with the collection of data, its analysis or even synthesis and summary. Instead, they imply that the results of parasite intervention monitoring programmes are of value to the extent that they provide information for making informed decisions regarding effective management of a control programme, particularly with respect to deciding if an intervention is on track to meet set programme objectives or if early adjustments can be triggered to mitigate against deficient outcomes as the intervention progresses. This conclusion indicates that monitoring results need to be effectively linked to management decision making if they are to be useful for undertaking successful parasite control (Kendall, 2001; Mulder et al., 1999; Williams et al., 2001). A core problem, however, relates to using the monitoring data for decision making in the context of uncertainty and incomplete information regarding parasite population dynamics and intervention effectiveness (Michael et al., 2004, 2006a). This implies that a decision aid procedure that links monitoring data with uncertainty in current knowledge and management decisions will be required to facilitate the effective use of such data for guiding parasite control management actions. Here, we show how one formalization using the principles of statistical decision theory (Lindley, 1985) may offer a way forward to addressing this question. Briefly, statistical decision theory can account for uncertainty in guiding optimal decision making in the management of parasite control by: determining the probability of observing alternative infection outcomes as estimated using the monitoring data, describing the management decisions in response to these outcomes and estimating the ‘utilities’ associated with each possible combination of decision and intervention outcome (i.e., the costs of wrong decisions and misinterpretation of the monitoring signal) (Table 3.4). As illustrated in Fig. 3.12, once these elements are quantified, the management decision is chosen that maximizes the expected (average) utility (Lindley, 1985; Mulder et al., 1999; Williams et al., 2001). The main feature of the method, which deals with uncertainty, is that the ‘true’ status of the parasite population is explicitly acknowledged as unknowable; instead, all we can do is to estimate the likelihood of the occurrence

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TABLE 3.4 A sequential list of steps to follow while using decision theory to make an optimal decision in parasite control in the context of uncertainty and incomplete information (Mulder et al., 1999) Steps

Decisions

1 2

Set the bounds of the management decision space Define a range of possible management actions in response to monitoring data Estimate the probabilities associated with each possible interpretation of the monitoring data Estimate the utilities associated with each possible combination of decision and monitoring data (i.e., the costs of wrong decisions and misinterpretation of the monitoring signal) Determine the decision that maximizes utility

3 4

of different status categories based on the best available data taking into account diagnostic test accuracy and the expected effect size and its likely variation (which together is used to ascertain the probabilities of whether the monitored parasite population is on target to meet programme objectives given particular values of a and b) (Fig. 3.12). Another equally critical feature is that the method lends itself to revision and updating as new information becomes available during the intervention period leading to recomputation of the probabilities associated with the possible states of the parasite system. The decision process is then revisited to determine if a different decision [or a new management strategy, e.g., adding vector control to MDA (Michael et al., 2004, 2006a)] now maximizes overall utility. This example shows that using monitoring data for decision making in parasite control will require the institution of a process, such as the application of statistical decision theory, to connect the questions of decision makers to the analysis and summary of the monitored data. It also highlights the critical role that mathematical models can play in the development and implementation of such decision tools.

8. UNCERTAINTY, MONITORING AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT The foregoing sections show that monitoring of parasite control is ultimately intended to track the progress of an intervention towards meeting a management objective. A difficulty is that it implies that current knowledge regarding the population dynamics of parasite control is sufficient to set monitoring targets and thresholds that allow achievement of these intervention goals. For filariasis, as noted in previous

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Decision (d i )

Parasite population status—likelihood (d j ) d 1: declining as expected

d 2: not declining as expected

No action (d1)

1.0

0.0

Remedial action (d2)

0.25

0.75

p(d 1)

p(d 2) Probabilities

FIGURE 3.12 Hypothetical utility table illustrating the likelihood of different parasite population states given monitoring data, the possible management decisions, and the utilities associated with the combinations of states and decisions. Monitoring data is first used in conjunction with model predictions to estimate the probability that observed parasite population trend is declining as expected (p(d1)), or not declining as expected (p(d2)). The alternative decisions (here either no action or take remedial action) for each of these states are then presented in a 2-way decision table as in the figure. The next task in using this approach is to assign values or ‘utilities’, u(di,dj) associated with the various outcomes. Utilities are scaled to the unit interval, with u ¼ 1 ‘best’ and u ¼ 0 ‘worst’. Thus, in the figure, if the parasite population is accepted to be declining as expected, the decision of not taking an action is best. However, taking a remedial action when none is needed in this case may be assigned a lower utility because of the cost of the action and to hedge against the fact that our acceptance of expected decline is based on statistical probability and not certainty. Once the elements of the table are complete (di, dj, and uij (di)), the management decision (di) is chosen that maximizes the expected (average) utility (u(di) (Burgman, 2005; Mulder et al., 1999).

sections, major uncertainties exist in almost every area of our understanding of parasite population dynamics and control, including (1) model and process uncertainty that gives rise to approximate thresholds and predictions of the effects of intervention, (2) observation uncertainty related to diagnostic tool accuracy and the roles of spatial and population ecologies on the sampling process and (3) intervention uncertainty in which there is a little reliable information available regarding the effectiveness of the various proposed interventions to reduce or interrupt parasite transmission (Hughes et al., 1995; Michael et al., 2006a,b; Venette et al., 2002). This situation implies that currently running or soon to be implemented control programmes must proceed in the face of all these sources of uncertainty.

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Recent work in fisheries, forestry and wildlife management, however, has shown how combining monitoring results with a management method that forces us to acknowledge uncertainty can provide a process to help resolve these uncertainties and hence revise and improve our understanding of parasite control. Termed adaptive management, this process involves using current interventions and responses of a system to management actions to ‘learn’ about the behaviour of that system, which is then used to modify or adapt future management actions (Holling, 1978; Parma and NCEAS working group on population management, 1998; Shea et al., 2002; Walters, 1986; Walters and Hilborn, 1978). Briefly, it may be thought of as managing ecological interventions with a plan for learning about the system. Its most effective form—active adaptive management—uses management programmes that are designed to experimentally compare selected policies or practices in order to evaluate alternate hypotheses about the system being managed. Thus, when used in this way, monitoring results may either support or conflict with current understanding, thereby inspiring a development of knowledge that includes resolving gaps in system or transmission model dynamics and reinforcing or improving well-understood relationships. Finally, this approach can help prioritize future research according to such gaps. The above considerations suggest that there is an imperative need to modify existing management models for filariasis control in order to incorporate adaptive management principles. Specifically, we need to develop an adaptive management plan that (1) acknowledges uncertainty, (2) contemplates using monitoring system responses to interventions to learn about the system and (3) anticipates that future management interventions will be modified as we gather information and learn more about system behaviour (Fig. 3.13). Such a management approach will also require the close linking of decision makers and mangers with research groups, which in turn will allow not only the tailoring of research to answering management problems in parasite control but also the rapid transfer of research outcomes to the field (Dent, 2000). Of course, developing and instituting an adaptive parasite management plan will have a cost. However, we suggest that this short-term cost is well worth paying if our ignorance about how nature works in reality leads to an even bigger loss from present investments in parasite control, for example when choices made in a myopic way, which ignore future learning, prevents the attainment of intervention goals.

9. CONCLUSIONS This chapter highlights three major conclusions regarding the role of epidemiological modelling for the development of effective monitoring plans for aiding the evaluation of lymphatic filariasis elimination. First, successful

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5. Research

4. Feedback to management

2. Select management actions

1. Set objectives

Management objectives

Monitoring objectives

Kinds of monitoring

3. Monitor/evaluate effectiveness of management

Indicators

Statistical design/sampling

Assess pre-control endemicity Set/assess initial targets/thresholds

FIGURE 3.13 The main steps and components in developing a sound adaptive management process for parasite control programmes. The process begins by the setting up of both management and monitoring objectives, followed by the selection of the appropriate management action, its monitoring and evaluation, and finally using feedback from the evaluation to adaptively alter management actions as well as guide required research. Mathematical models can clearly guide each of these steps.

monitoring of parasite control strategies is intricately related to the underlying parasite transmission dynamics since these govern the target thresholds that signify various management goals related to either elimination or parasite control and provide the expected magnitudes of change needed to determine if interventions are proceeding as expected. It is also the dynamics of the parasite population response to intervention episodes that govern the optimal frequency of monitoring, warning of deficiencies in effectiveness and suggestion of remedial actions to get the intervention back on track to meet set endpoint targets. Parasite population dynamics also inform the selection of appropriate indicators for monitoring the effects of interventions via providing comparative information on their expected effect sizes. We suggest that a purely empirical approach that does not consider how parasite transmission processes and components interact dynamically with a perturbation is unlikely to fulfil these functions. These considerations in turn imply that developing effective parasite control monitoring plans will be enhanced if their designs, including selection of indicators, are based on the use of mathematical models

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that organize, depict and integrate best existing scientific knowledge on the processes and components underlying the population dynamics of parasite transmission and control. This chapter has aimed to show how such models can provide the scientific framework for the development and implementation of sound filariasis monitoring plans by synthesizing current understanding of parasite system dynamics, identifying important processes and illustrating dynamic linkages between indicators and parasite population states or processes. Yet, surprisingly, existing models so far have been little used in the design of monitoring programmes. We suggest that rectifying this situation be a priority in the management of currently running or soon to be initiated parasite control programmes. The second major contribution of this chapter is to clarify that the essential purpose of parasite control monitoring is to allow decision making regarding whether an intervention is on track to meet a set goal. This implies that development of monitoring plans be based on clear articulation and selection of intervention objectives, available management actions, sensitive indicators of parasite population change related to an implemented intervention and statistically valid methods for collection of data using these indicators. From a practical perspective, these considerations suggest that monitoring should be conducted only if opportunities to allow change in management actions exist. If no alternative management options are available, expending resources in monitoring is futile as information from carrying out such an exercise is wasted. It also suggests that simply gathering monitoring information without designing decision aids that can be used by managers to determine the effects of management actions, such as that based on statistical decision theory discussed in this chapter (Section 7), is again not useful. We recommend that emphasis be given to the development of such decision-making aids, linked closely to mathematical models, in the development of parasite monitoring plans. Finally, we have demonstrated that monitoring and evaluation activities must be viewed more as an adaptive management rather than a one-step process (Holling, 1978; Parma and NCEAS working group on population management, 1998; Shea et al., 2002; Walters, 1986; Walters and Hilborn, 1978). This is because of the important need to acknowledge uncertainties in our understanding of parasite population dynamics and the effects of interventions, which hampers predictions on whether our interventions are likely to meet set management goals. By contrast, adaptive parasite control management by explicitly acknowledging the existence of uncertainty and the importance of the need to incorporate learning into management aims to institute a plan with the following goals: (1) manage to the best of current knowledge, (2) learn from management actions and (3) improve/modify management in the future.

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Again, mathematical models can play a critical role in this process by facilitating the iterative use of monitoring data to better refine our understanding of both the structure of the underlying parasite population dynamics and intervention effectiveness, and hence improve predictions of the effects of management actions. We indicate an imperative need to reassess current management strategies at all levels to ensure that these adaptive principles of management are adopted as far as possible. The success of our ambitious goals for controlling or eliminating lymphatic filariasis, and indeed other major human helminthiases, may well depend on evolving and implementing such innovative management changes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS E.M. and M.N.M.-L. are grateful to the British Council Higher Education Link Programme for financial support of this work. Collaboration between E.M. and J.W.K. was made possible by a United States Public Health Service NIH ICIDR grant U19 AI33061 and a R01 grant AI69387. Contributions by J.W.K. were in part also supported by the United States Public Health Service NIH grant U19 AI065717.

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Tobian, A. A., Tarongka, N., Baisor, M., Bockarie, M., Kazura, J. W., and King, C. L. (2003). Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound detection and risk factors for filarial-associated hydroceles. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 68, 638–642. Tolle, T., Powell, D. S., Breckenridge, R., Cone, L., Keller, R., Kreshner, J., Smith, K. S., White, G. J., and Williams, G. L. (1999). Managing the monitoring and evaluation process. In ‘‘Ecological Stewardship. A Common Reference for Ecosystem Management’’ (N. C. Johnson, A. J. Malk, R. C. Szaro, and W. T. Sexton, eds.), pp. 585–601. Elsevier Science Ltd., Oxford. Ulm, K. (1991). A statistical method for assessing a threshold in epidemiological studies. Stat. Med. 10, 341–349. van der Werf, M. J., De Vlas, S. J., Casper, W. N. L., Nagelkerke, N. J. D., Habbema, J. D. F., and Engels, D. (2002). Associating community prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infection with prevalence of signs and symptoms. Acta Trop. 82, 127–137. Venette, R. C., Moon, R. D., and Hutchison, W. D. (2002). Strategies and statistics of sampling for rare individuals. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 47, 143–174. Walters, C. J. (1986). ‘‘Adaptive Management of Renewable Resources.’’ McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. Walters, C. J., and Hilborn, R. (1978). Ecological optimization and adaptive mangement. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 9, 157–188. Weil, G. J., Lammie, P. J., and Weiss, N. (1997). The ICT Filariasis Test: A rapid-format antigen test for diagnosis of Bancroftian filariasis. Parasitol. Today 13, 401–404. Whitehead, N., Hill, H. A., Brogan, D. J., and Blackmore-Prince, C. (2002). Exploration of threshold analysis in the relation between stressful life events and preterm delivery. Am. J. Epidemiol. 155, 117–124. Williams, B. K., Nichols, J. D., and Conroy, M. J. (2001). ‘‘Analysis and Management of Animal Populations. Modeling, Estimation, and Decision Making.’’ Academic Press, San Diego, CA, USA. Williams, S. A., Laney, S. J., Bierwert, L. A., Saunders, L. J., Boakye, D. A., Fischer, P., Goodman, D., Helmy, H., Hoti, S. L., Vasuki, V., Lammie, P. J., Plichart, C., et al. (2002). Development and standardization of a rapid, PCR-based method for the detection of Wuchereria bancrofti in mosquitoes, for xenomonitoring the human prevalence of Bancroftian filariasis. Ann. Trop. Med. Parasitol. 96(Suppl 2), S41–S46. Woolhouse, M. E. (1992). On the application of mathematical models of schistosome transmission dynamics. II. Control. Acta Trop. 50, 189–204. Woolhouse, M. E. (1996). Mathematical models of transmission dynamics and control of schistosomiasis. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 55, 144–148. World Health Organization (1998a). ‘‘Guidelines for Certifying Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination (including Discussion of Critical Issues and Rationale).’’ WHO/FIL/99/197, Geneva. World Health Organization (1998b). ‘‘Report of a WHO Informal Consultation on Epidemiologic Approaches to Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination: Initial Assessment, Monitoring and Certification.’’ WHO/FIL/99/195, Geneva. Yoccoz, N. G., Nichols, J. D., and Boulinier, T. (2001). Monitoring of biological diversity in space and time. Trends Ecol. Evol. 16, 446–453. Zhou, X.-H., Obuchowski, N. A., and Mcclish, D. K. (2002). ‘‘Statistical Methods in Diagnostic Medicine.’’ John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New York, USA.

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CHAPTER

4 The Role of Helminth Infections in Carcinogenesis David A. Mayer* and Bernard Friedâ&#x20AC;

Contents

1. Introduction 2. Trematoda 2.1. S. haematobium 2.2. S. mansoni 2.3. S. japonicum 2.4. O. viverrini 2.5. C. sinensis 2.6. F. hepatica 3. Cestoidea and Nematoda 4. Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis 5. Concluding Remarks References

Abstract

This review examines the significant literature on the role of helminth infections in carcinogenesis. Both parasitic infections and cancer have complex natural histories and long latent periods during which numerous exogenous and endogenous factors interact to obfuscate causality. Although only two helminths, Schistosoma haematobium and Opisthorchis viverrini, have been proven to be definitely carcinogenic to humans, others have been implicated in facilitating malignant transformation. The known mechanisms of helminth-induced cancer include chronic inflammation, modulation of the host immune system, inhibition of intracellular communication, disruption of proliferationâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;antiproliferation pathways, induction of genomic instability and stimulation of malignant

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* Department of Surgery, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595 {

Department of Biology, Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania 10842

Advances in Parasitology, Volume 65 ISSN 0065-308X DOI: 10.1016/S0065-308X(07)65004-0

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stem cell progeny. Approximately 16% of all cancer cases worldwide are attributable to pathogenic agents, including schistosomes and liver flukes. This equates to 1,375,000 preventable cancer deaths per year. Means to reduce the incidence of helminthassociated malignancies are discussed.

1. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this chapter is to explore the role of helminth infections in carcinogenesis. Johanes Fibiger won the only Nobel Prize for helminthology in 1926 for the induction of gastric cancer in rats by feeding them cockroaches infected with Spiroptera neoplastica larvae (Campbell, 1997). The idea of parasitic worms causing cancer was not new. Fibiger had been aware of the causal relationship of Schistosoma haematobium and human urinary bladder cancer. His dissection of wild rats had yielded remarkable finding—stomach tumours containing worms. The problem of proving the role of parasites in cancer induction is difficult because of their complex natural histories and long asymptomatic latent periods during which numerous endogenous and exogenous factors can interact to obfuscate causality (Herrera and Ostrosky-Wegman, 2001). Fibiger’s worm, S. neoplastica (later renamed Gongylonema neoplastica), provided a unique scientific tool for the experimental induction of cancer in mammalian hosts. Fibiger’s work was later criticized for the gastric tumours not being true cancers, but merely worm-induced hyperplasia associated with vitamin A deficiency. Today, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has in part vindicated Fibiger’s belief in parasiteinduced cancer by labelling S. haematobium and Opisthorchis viverrini as definitely carcinogenic (group 1) and Clonorchis sinensis as probably carcinogenic (group 2) to humans (IARC, 1994). Helminth infections are of enormous importance worldwide, and the number of people exposed or infected is overwhelming. Pisani et al. (1997) used mathematical models to estimate the percentage of all cancers that were due to infections, and called this number the ‘attributable fraction’. They showed that 15.6% of all cancer cases worldwide were attributable to infections including those due to schistosomes and liver flukes. The infectious origin of a cancer implies that the cancer is in fact preventable (Kuper et al., 2000). Pisani et al. (1997) found that if the infections were prevented, by education and public health initiatives, the result would be 9% fewer cancer cases in developed countries and 21% fewer in developing countries. The ‘attributable fraction’ accounted for 1,375,000 preventable cancer cases per year. Two biomedical scientists with diverse backgrounds have written this review. The first (D.A.M.) is a general and vascular surgeon who

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developed an interest in clinical parasitology as a surgical resident at Cornell University from 1973 to 1978. The second (B.F.) is an experimental parasitologist who became interested in medical parasitology during his tenure as a Louisiana State University medical fellow in the Central American tropics in 1967. Until now, there has been no comprehensive review on the causal relationship between helminth infection and carcinogenesis. Information on the topic was formerly scattered worldwide in diverse medical and scientific journals. We organize the available literature according to the carcinogenic effects of the following trematodes: S. haematobium, Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum, O. viverrini, C. sinensis and Fasciola hepatica. Research on the carcinogenicity of selected Cestoidea and Nematoda is not covered in the text but is summarized in tabular format. A section summarizing the current understanding of the mechanisms of helminth-induced carcinogenesis follows. We conclude by identifying areas for future research. It is our sincere hope that this review increases awareness of helminth infections as a preventable cause of human cancer.

2. TREMATODA 2.1. S. haematobium Mayer and Fried (2002) reported that more than 200 million people in 77 countries have contracted schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever or bilharziasis. Globally, 1 in 30 people are infected. In 1851, Theodore Bilharz identified the blood fluke responsible for endemic haematuria during an autopsy of a patient in Cairo, Egypt. In the early twentieth century, Sir Patrick Manson described the three major disease-causing species. Infection occurs when cercariae of S. mansoni, S. haematobium or S. japonicum are shed into fresh water by intermediate snail hosts and penetrate the skin of a definitive human host. The schistosomula migrate through pulmonary capillaries into the left heart and systemic circulation. Schistosoma is the only bisexual genus of the class Trematoda in humans. Male and female worms pair off with the long thin female (14 mm 0.2 mm) residing within the gynecophoric canal of the shorter male (10 mm 1.1 mm). The male uses an oral sucker to attach to the endothelial wall of blood vessels; S. mansoni and S. japonicum prefer the mesenteric veins, while S. haematobium prefers the venules of the urinary bladder. Adult worms do little damage to the human host. Damage is created by the eggs deposited by the parasite as they lodge in host tissue to form a granulomatous response. Eggs are also shed in the stool or urine, which may hatch upon reaching fresh water to become miracidia capable of penetrating the intermediate snail host. Since adult worm pairs do not

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multiply within the definitive human host, intensity of infection depends upon the degree of contact with cercariae. Ferguson (1911) was the first to link bilharziasis with bladder cancer in Egypt. Chen and Mott (1989) observed that the endemicity of the parasite supports the association of bladder cancer with schistosomiasis. The incidence of bladder cancer in the Middle East and Africa is greater in areas with higher S. haematobium prevalence and less in areas with lower prevalence. Mostafa et al. (1999) noted that 60% of the Egyptian population is still at risk for infection with S. haematobium, with rural children of school age at particular risk because of their proximity to infected water. The overall prevalence of S. haematobium infection in Egypt remains at 37â&#x20AC;&#x201C;48%. Bladder cancer represents 30.8% of the total cancer incidence in Egypt and is the most common type of cancer in males and the second most common, after breast cancer, in females. This compares to bladder cancerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5th to 7th ranking in males and 7th to 14th ranking in females in schistosome-free nations such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey. The National Cancer Institute in Cairo reported that 7,746 (30.8%) of 25,148 new cancer cases indexed from 1970 through 1981 were bladder cancers presumably induced by S. haematobium infection. In Iraq, Zambia, Malawi and Kuwait where the intensity of S. haematobium infection is high, bladder cancer is the most common malignancy. Talib (1970) noted that in Iraq, S. haematobium is the only species of Schistosoma that infects inhabitants. Since the South is more rural and agricultural than the North, the incidence of infection rises from 10% to 90% as one travels from Northern to Southern Iraq. The frequency of bladder cancer parallels the intensity of bilharzial infection, with inhabitants of agricultural marshlands being at greatest risk. In schistosome-free nations, bladder cancer is a disease whose incidence peaks in the sixth or seventh decade of life. Mostafa et al. (1999) noted that in Egypt, Iraq, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Sudan, the incidence of bilharzial bladder cancer peaks from age 40 to 49. The gender ratio (male to female) for cancer of the bladder is 5:1 in endemic and 3:1 in non-endemic areas. This is predictable since agricultural workers, mostly men, in endemic areas have daily exposure to water infected with the cercariae of S. haematobium. Makhyoun et al. (1971) reported that in the Nile Delta, 99% of bladder cancers found in male agricultural labourers (fellahin) were associated with S. haematobium infection, as opposed to only 52% in males with lower-risk occupations. The association between urinary schistosomiasis and bladder cancer is also supported by histopathologic findings. In endemic areas with high worm burdens, squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder is most frequent, while transitional cell carcinoma predominates in areas of lower endemicity such as North America and Europe. El-Bolkainy et al. (1981) noted a 54â&#x20AC;&#x201C;81% incidence of squamous cell cancer among all bladder cancers in endemic areas, as

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opposed to 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10% in Western countries. Tricker et al. (1989) postulated that the higher incidence of squamous cell cancer might be due to exposure to carcinogens such as N-nitroso compounds that are present in larger amounts in bilharzial urine. The IARC (1994) analyzed seven caseâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;control studies of the association between cancer of the bladder and S. haematobium infection. Intensity of infection was measured by urinary egg counts, pelvic X-rays, bladder and rectal biopsies and examination of bladder tissue following digestion and centrifugation. Possible confounding of results by smoking, a recognized cause of bladder cancer in non-endemic countries, was considered in only one study but thought not to affect the validity of their results. Six of the seven studies showed a strong association between bladder cancer and S. haematobium infection with odds ratios ranging from 2 to 14 (using all other cancer cases as controls, relative to no such history and adjusted for age, smoking history, education, occupation and geographic area of origin). S. haematobium infection did predispose to bladder cancer, especially the squamous cell variety. The more heavily infected individuals were, the more likely they were to develop bladder cancer, and at a younger age. Parra et al. (1991) noted that the majority of the pathological findings of schistosomiasis are due to an inflammatory and immunological response to egg deposition. Granulomatous areas form around eggs and induce an exudative cellular response consisting of lymphocytes, polymorphonuclear leukocytes and eosinophils. Smith and Christie (1986) described the early stage of S. haematobium infection, which is characterized by egg deposition at the lower ureters and bladder. Resultant perioval granulomas, fibrosis and muscular hypertrophy are seen histologically. In the ureter, lesions can cause stenosis, leading to hydronephrosis (dilatation of the renal calyces). In the bladder, masses of large granulomatous inflammatory polyps containing eggs are found at the bladder apex, dome, trigone and posterior wall. Polyps may ulcerate and slough, producing haematuria. Smith and Christie (1986) found hyperplasia of the urothelium in 38% of autopsied S. haematobium cases as opposed to 21% in noninfected cases, metaplasia in 31.6% versus 11.5% and dysplasia in 27.2% versus 8.5%. Smith and Christie (1986) characterized late-stage infection as schistosomal bladder ulcers and sandy patches, irregular thickened or atrophic mucosa in the posterior bladder or trigone area. Histologically, fibrosis with some round cell infiltration is seen, with old granulomas containing calcified or disintegrating eggs. Cheever et al. (1978) noted that the inflammatory and fibrotic response to egg deposition could lead to calcification of the bladder, infection and stone disease. These late changes are most frequently associated with bladder cancer. El-Bolkainy et al. (1981) found S. haematobium eggs in 902 (82.4%) of 1,095 bladder cancer cases in Egypt. Patients with egg deposition in the bladder wall predominately developed

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squamous cell subtypes, and at an earlier age. The authors found 798 cases of squamous cell cancer, 691 of which occurred in S. haematobium positive bladders. The spectrum of hyperplasia, metaplasia, dysplasia and squamous cell cancer was associated with late-stage schistosomal infection. Christie et al. (1986) found that the ova burden surrounding bladder tumours was nearly twice that of non-tumourous areas of the bladder. Hussein et al. (2005) studied bilharzial granulomas and transformation of the urothelium in response to S. haematobium infection. They found that CD3Ăž T cells and CD68Ăž histiocytes were the predominate cell populations in these lesions. Alterations in the deposition of fibronectin and laminin basement membrane proteins were characteristic of schistosomal bladder changes. Fibronectin deposition increased as lesions progressed from cellular loose fibrillary networks to fibrocellular dense fibrillary networks, and finally to fibrotic tight conglomerates. Normal and metaplastic urothelium had continuous basement membranes, while breaks in basement membrane continuity appeared in some samples of dysplastic urothelium. Inflammation appears to be a common theme in understanding schistosome-induced carcinogenesis. Rosin et al. (1994a) found that chronic inflammation and bladder irritation associated with schistosomiasis causes cancer induction at the sites of the inflammatory lesions. Marletta (1988) noted that inflammatory cells including neutrophils and macrophages release oxygen-derived free radicals that aid in the formation of N-nitrosamines and other carcinogenic compounds. Shaeter et al. (1988) reported mutations, sister chromatid exchanges, DNA strand breaks and other genotoxic effects caused by inflammatory cells. Dizdaroglu et al. (1993) identified hydroxyl radicals released from inflammatory cells as the probable causative agent of these changes. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien (1988) noted that inflammatory cells were involved in activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines and similar procarcinogens to their active carcinogenic forms. Aromatic amines are especially carcinogenic to bladder tissue, an effect enhanced by the increased inflammatory cells in S. haematobium infection. Abdel et al. (2000) suggested the following sequence of carcinogenesis. Chronic infection leads to schistosome eggs becoming trapped in the bladder wall. Proliferation of cells in bladder mucosa results from the constant irritation and inflammation. Clones of neoplastic cells develop stimulated by N-nitrosamines and other environmental carcinogens (cigarette smoke and pesticides). Makhyoun (1974) noted that the low level of smoking among patients with S. haematobium-associated bladder cancer argues against a strong causative relationship. Raziuddin et al. (1993) found that tumour necrosis factor-a levels are greatly elevated in patients with S. haematobium-induced squamous cell bladder cancer. Monocytes were found to be the source of tumour necrosis factor-a secretion from these tumours. The role of activated monocytes in cytokine

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production, and their effect on immunomodulation and progression of malignancy is not fully understood. Rosin et al. (1994b) proposed that inflammation, augmented cell proliferation and genetic instability of the urothelium are central concepts in current theories of carcinogenesis for S. haematobium infection. The micronucleus test was used to detect chromosomal breakage in bladder tissue of schistosome-infected patients. In vitro studies were also done by incubating bladder cells with activated neutrophils in conditions simulating inflammation. Results demonstrated that activated inflammatory cells induced micronuclei in bladder cells. This effect was related to breakage of chromosome 11, commonly damaged during initiation of bladder cancer. Mostafa et al. (1999) noted that the staple diet of Egyptian farmers consisting of fava beans, raw salted fish, cheeses and spices contains small amounts of N-nitrosamines and their metabolites. The ingestion of N-nitrosamines in the diet coupled with their endogenous production by bacterial synthesis in the bladder has stimulated interest in exploring the role of these compounds in the induction of bladder cancer. Mostafa et al. (1994) reported high levels of volatile and non-volatile nitrosamines, nitrites and nitrates in the urine of schistosome-infected patients. These levels were highest with S. haematobium-infected cases. Stuehr and Marietta (1985) identified that monocyte accumulation from chronic inflammation was the probable cause of the elevated N-nitroso compounds. Badawi et al. (1992) found evidence of promutagenic methylation damage in bladder DNA from patients with bladder cancer associated with schistosomiasis. N-nitroso compounds, formed endogenously by activated macrophages, can generate reactive by-products that can alkylate tissue components, such as DNA. Sheweita et al. (2003) studied the effects of S. haematobium infection on drug-metabolizing enzymes in human bladder cancer tissue. The mixed function oxidase system includes phase I and phase II drug oxidation enzymes. Phase I drug oxidation proteins include N-nitrosodimethylamine-N-demethylase (NDMA), cytochrome b5 and aryl hydrocarbon hydrolase (AHH). Phase II agents include glutathione and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). Phase I and phase II agents as well as free radicals, such as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, were studied in three groups: normal bladder tissue, bladder cancer and S. haematobium-induced bladder cancer. In schistosome-infected bladder tissue, AHH activity increased by 50%, while NDMA and GST activity decreased by 65% and 56%, respectively. Infected bladder tissue also showed a 29% increase in reduced glutathione, and a 57% increase in free radicals over non-infected bladder cancer samples. The majority of free radicals are formed from the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide, and cause lipid peroxidation and subsequent organ damage. Lipid peroxidation is central to the inflammatory effect of schistosome infection, and

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results in instability of cell membranes. Sheweita et al. (2003) concluded that bladder tissues infected with S. haematobium showed significant alterations in the activity of phase I and II drug-metabolizing enzymes. This change could impair the ability of the bladder to detoxify endogenous substances. It might also potentiate the action of bladder carcinogens such as N-nitrosamines, already present in elevated quantities in the urine of schistosome-infected patients. Schistosome-infected bladders could then activate N-nitrosoamines into active intermediary compounds capable of binding with DNA producing methylation damage. Badawi et al. (1992) noted that analysis of samples of bladder tissue and bladder cancer from Egyptian patients infected with S. haematobium revealed high levels of promutagenic DNA lesions such as 06-methyldeoxyguanosine. Mostafa et al. (1999) suggested that the presence of 06-methyldeoxyguanosine was consistent with the continuous exposure of bladder tissues to alkylating agents found in abundance in the urine of schistosome-infected individuals. Badawi et al. (1994) found that bladder tissue in general has a diminished capacity for repair of DNA damage, along with decreased 06-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase activity. Whether endogenously derived through activated macrophages, or exogenously through nitrosation reactions in the bladder, promutagenic unrepaired DNA damage may be responsible for the initiation of bladder cancer in S. hematobium infection. Gutierrez et al. (2004) studied CpG for the initiation of bladder cancer in S. haematobium infection. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was applied to 12 cancer-related genes in 41 samples of Egyptian bladder cancer tissue. All but two cases had at least one methylated gene, and 45% had three or more. S. haematobium-associated bladder cancers had higher methylation indices, confirming increased epigenetic changes of the urothelium. More recently, Saad et al. (2006) confirmed that N7-methylguanine, a marker of exposure to methylation from carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds, was present in 93% of DNA isolates from Egyptian bladder tumour patients. This suggests a role for gene methylation in the initiation and progression of schistosome-induced bladder cancer. Badawi et al. (1995) reported high levels of carcinogenic tryptophan metabolites in the urine of S. haematobium-infected bladder cancer patients. Abdel-Tawab et al. (1986) studied excretion of tryptophan metabolites from the kynurenine pathway and noted that 64% of schistosome-associated bladder cancer patients metabolized tryptophan abnormally. Niagi and Bender (1990) found reduction of urinary excretion of kynurenine, kynurenic acid and methyl pyradone carboxamide in a mouse model for schistosome infection. They suggested that removal of the amino acid from the bloodstream, through uptake by the parasite or its eggs, was a possible mechanism for the observed impairment of tryptophan metabolism. Earlier, Teulings et al. (1973)

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had demonstrated that the presence of the disordered tryptophan metabolite 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid appeared due to the bladder cancer itself, and was reversible upon successful eradication of the cancer. Whether abnormal tryptophan metabolism has an initiating or promoting role in the development of schistosome-associated bladder cancer is unknown. El-Mouelhi and Mansour (1990) suggested a link between elevated levels of b-glucuronidase in the urine of S. haematobium-infected patients and the development of cancer of the bladder. The source of the enzyme in the urine is unknown. Theories include production from the schistosome worms themselves aided by secondary bacterial infection, from cellular debris originating from the worm-induced bladder lesions or from granulocytes present in the urine. Gentile et al. (1985) suggested that b-glucuronidase might release active carcinogens by hydrolyzing carcinogenic glucuronide conjugates. Syrian golden hamsters infected with S. haematobium had enhanced metabolic activation of the bladder carcinogens 3,30 -dichlorobenzidine and 2-acteylaminofluorene in the presence of elevated urinary b-glucuronidase levels. Fripp (1988) postulated that the parasite might secrete an inactive glucuronide that becomes an active carcinogenic metabolite when hydrolyzed by b-glucuronidase in the bladder. Gentile (1985) documented the importance of urinary retention, whether from fibrosis and obstruction of the bladder neck or from voluntary causes such as pain on urination, in prolonging the exposure of the bladder mucosa to various exogenous and endogenous carcinogens. Schistosome-induced urinary stasis allows increased absorption of carcinogens and thus plays an integral role in carcinogenesis. Recurrent bacterial urinary tract infections are known to be associated with squamous cell carcinomas of the bladder, even in the absence of concomitant S. haematobium infection. El-Hawey et al. (1989) found that 39â&#x20AC;&#x201C;66% of hospitalized patients with schistosomiasis had urinary tract bacterial infections. Penaud et al. (1983) hypothesized that the bacteria may become fixed on the tegument or in the intestinal ceca of the worms in a symbiotic type relationship. Mikhail et al. (1982) showed in an animal hamster model that bacterial growth from dual infections of both schistosomes and Salmonella paratyphi was greater than in control animals with single infections of Salmonella only. Mostafa et al. (1994) isolated nitrate-reducing bacteria such as Staphlococcus aureus, Staphlococcus albus, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli, from urine samples of S. haematobium-infected patients. Hill (1988) found that schistosome-related bacterial cystitis facilitates nitrosation of secondary amines from both exogenously ingested and endogenously produced nitrite resulting in the generation of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines.

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Badawi et al. (1995) described the process of carcinogenesis as involving an initiating and promoting effect on target cells. First damage occurs to the DNA template which, unless repaired, can lead to irreversible changes in the complementary strand of DNA produced during the S-phase of the cell cycle. Somatic mutation results when the altered strand is used as a template. The promotion phase is characterized by stimulation of cell proliferation. Oncogenes and tumour supressor genes have been associated with many cancers in humans, and recently efforts have been made to study the specific genes involved in the induction of schistosome-associated bladder cancer. Oncogenes release protein products that directly influence cell cycle regulation. Alterations in oncogenes or their by-products can lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation and carcinogenesis. Strohmeyer and Slamon (1994) studied the ras oncogene and the potential association with bladder cancer. The ras oncogene encodes a 21-kDa protein that affects signal transmission between the nucleus and tyrosine kinase receptors. The relationship between ras oncogenes and cancer of the bladder is unclear. Estimates of H-ras activation in bladder cancer range between 7% and 17%, with its expression being similar with or without concurrent schistosomal infection. The p53 tumour suppressor gene, located on the short arm of chromosome 17, encodes a protein that regulates DNA damage repair and controls aspects of the cell cycle involving cellular apoptosis and senescence. Mutation of p53 results in a reduction of DNA damage surveillance leading to instability of the genome and malignant transformation. Habuchi et al. (1993) found that 86% of Egyptian patients with schistosome-associated bladder cancer had p53 mutations in exons 5, 6, 8 and 10. Badawi (1996) noted that as tumour grade increased, so did the p53 mutation rate. Inactivation of p53 occurred in 0â&#x20AC;&#x201C;38% of early-stage bladder cancers, compared to 33â&#x20AC;&#x201C;86% in latestage disease. Ramchurren et al. (1995) identified multiple inactivation events at the locus of p53 in S. haematobium-induced bladder cancer that may be linked to abnormal tryptophan metabolites and N-nitrosamines. Lozano et al. (1994) reported that nitric oxide produced by the inflammation from schistosomal egg deposition could cause p53 mutations through stimulation of endogenous N-nitroso compound generation resulting in DNA alkylation. Fadl-Elmula et al. (2002) investigated chromosomal imbalances in bilharzial-associated bladder cancer. DNA was obtained from 20 archival samples of schistosome-induced bladder lesions and was studied using comparative genomic hybridization methods. Six carcinomas and one granuloma had evidence of chromosomal imbalances, with loss of 9p being most frequent in bilharzial-associated cases. Alterations in cell cycle control are central to the current theory of carcinogenesis. Cyclin-dependant kinases are enzymes that control the cell cycle from G1 through the M phase. Tamimi et al. (1996) found that

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deletions of p16INK4, a cyclin-dependant kinase inhibitor, occurred in 53% of samples from patients with schistosome-associated bladder cancer. Elissa et al. (2004) described the roles of p16INKA and p15INKB as tumour suppressors whose inactivation or deletion can lead to malignancy. The p21 gene inhibits cyclin-dependant kinases resulting in growth arrest at the G1/S transition. Tissue was harvested from 132 Egyptian patients with bladder cancer and compared to 50 normal samples. P21 testing was done with Western blot, and p16 and p15 gene deletions were tested by polymerase chain reaction. Cyclin D1, thought to control the cell cycle from G1 to S, was also tested by Western blot. P16 and p15 were deleted in 38.7% and 30.2% of bladder cancers, respectively. The deletions were associated with schistosomiasis and poor tumour differentiation. Cyclin D1 was expressed in 57.5% of tumours, and was associated with schistosomiasis and early stage, well differentiated cancers. Levels of p21 were lower in tumour than in normal tissue. Cyclin D1 overexpression was thought to be an early trigger of bladder carcinogenesis in schistosome-infected patients. Gonzalez-Zulueta et al. (1995) also identified gene deletions (of CDKN2 on chromosome 9p) in 92% of squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder cases. Chaudhary et al. (1997) investigated the overexpression of the Bcl-2 gene in patients with schistosome-associated bladder cancer. The Bcl-2 gene was first found to be associated with B-cell leukaemia and lymphoma. When expressed, it overrides programmed cell apoptosis increasing the risk of genomic instability. Bcl-2 also interacts with various proto-oncogenes facilitating tumourigenesis. Bcl-2 was found upregulated in squamous cell but not in transitional cell cancer of the bladder. The overexpression of Bcl-2 in S. haematobium-induced bladder cancer is consistent with the predominance of squamous variety tumours. Mutations of p53 were found in 73% of tumours, Bcl-2 expression in 32% and abnormalities of both p53 and Bcl-2 in 13%. Loss of the normal reciprocal control mechanism for apoptosis was suggested in the subset of patients with overexpression of both p53 and Bcl-2. More recently, Swellam et al. (2004) studied Bcl-2 expression in 118 cases of bladder cancer from Cairo, Egypt. Sixty had schistosomiasis. Methods included enzyme assay, Western blot and immunodot blot. Bcl-2 was significantly overexpressed in schistosome-associated squamous cell cancer, suggesting a role in carcinogenesis. Haitel et al. (2001) investigated the relationship of apoptosis-related proteins to the clinical outcome of schistosome-induced bladder cancer. For squamous cell cancer, p53, MIB-1, Bcl-x and Bax were independent predictors of prognosis. Mao et al. (1996) predicted that microsatellite analysis for genomic instability might allow early detection of bladder cancer in the future. El-Sheikh et al. (2001) studied the expression of cyclooxygenase enzymes in schistosome-associated bladder cancer. An immunohistochemistry

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protocol employing mouse monoclonal antibodies was applied to 60-paired samples of tumour and adjacent normal urothelium. Results demonstrated that cyclooxygenase-2 is overexpressed in S. haematobiuminduced bladder cancer. The quantitative relationship between cyclooxygenase-2 expression and tumour grade was statistically significant. The authors proposed the following role for cyclooxygenase-2 in the complex multi-stage process of schistosome-associated bladder carcinogenesis. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1, tumour growth factor-B and tumour necrosis factor-a, are generated by activated macrophages in the inflammatory lesions. These cytokines and growth factors are potent inducers of cyclooxygenase-2 production. The upregulation of cycloxygenase-2 activates environmental carcinogens such as N-nitrosamine and benzopyrene that initiate DNA damage and carcinogenesis. By-products of uncontrolled cyclooxygenase activity together with endogenous genotoxins produce oxidative and nitrosative stress creating lipid peroxidation by-products. Additional mutations are induced: p53, H-ras, deletion of p16 and p15, increased epidermal growth factor receptor, c-erB-2 and tumour necrosis factor-a. Increased prostaglandin production up-regulates cyclooxygenase-2, decreases killer T-cell activity, increases bcl-2 and glutathione-S-transferase. These changes increase tumourgenicity by decreasing cell apoptosis, creating immunosupression and resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Prostaglandin products of cyclooxygenase-2 cause tumour progression and eventual metastasis by down-regulating adhesion molecules, increasing degradation of extracellular matrix and increasing angiogenesis. Okajima et al. (1998) also noted the overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 in bladder cancer and studied the chemopreventive effect of nimesulide, a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, on the development of nitrosamine-induced bladder tumours in rats. Thought to be effective by inducing apoptosis, drugs as readily available as aspirin and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents may provide both simple and affordable cycloxygenase-2 inhibition for endemic areas. Badawi et al. (1995) noted that other malignancies have been reported in association with S. haematobium infection. These include squamous cell cancers of the female genitals, cervical cancers, ovarian cystadenocarcinomas, teratomas and Brenner tumours, uterine leiomyosarcomas, male breast cancers, hepatocellular carcinomas, lymphomas, bladder sarcomas, rectal carcinoid tumours and renal cell carcinomas. The numbers of patients with these additional malignancies are relatively small leaving their association with schistosomiasis unproven. Evidence for the causative role of S. haematobium infection in bladder carcinogenesis is sufficient for the IARC to classify the parasite as group 1: definitely carcinogenic to humans. The literature in support of this classification is voluminous, with some of the work appearing in relatively obscure

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journals. Therefore, this section of our review is, by necessity, selective rather than exhaustive. Having concluded that S. haematobium is carcinogenic to humans, it follows that elimination or control of the parasite could provide a means of cancer prevention. Mayer and Fried (2002) noted that control of schistosomiasis is twofold: control of population morbidity and control of transmission. Application of mass chemotherapy to targeted populations can cure 75% of those infected with a single dose of praziquantel, and reduce egg release by 90â&#x20AC;&#x201C;95%. This large-scale treatment of endemic areas is expensive, with a cost of US$ 0.35 per dose. Metrifonate is a less-costly alternative that is active against S. haematobium, but must be given in two or three doses at 2-week intervals. Snail control is effective in interrupting transmission. The molluscicide niclosamide is most frequently used, but because snail populations can reestablish themselves in 3 months, repeated applications are needed. Biologic snail control by introducing natural snail predators (ducks, fish, turtles) or snail parasites (fungi, bacteria viruses) are other effective methods. Modification of the environment to create conditions detrimental to the intermediate host may involve increasing the rate of water flow in irrigation canals, cementing over or enclosing canals and burying snails while digging irrigation ditches. These environmental modifications work best when combined with public health measures including education and improved hygiene, reduction of contact with contaminated water and improvement of the standard of living. Since schistosomiasis remains endemic in over 75 countries, anti-schistosomal vaccines are needed to complement existing control measures. To date, the immune responses elicited by experimentally defined antigens are inadequate for reliable human protection against infection. Dupre et al. (1999) reported a promising synergistic effect in the addition of a schistosomal GST DNA vaccination to standard praziquantel therapy. The praziquantel induced unmasking of native GST at the surface of the worms, allowing neutralization of the parasite by antibodies raised by the DNA immunization. Modification of the diet to include high doses of antioxidants to combat the DNA damage required for carcinogenesis to proceed has also been suggested. El-Desoky et al. (2005) identified a slow acetylator genotype, NAT2*5/*5, as a risk factor or marker for schistosome-induced bladder cancer. Further research in this area is necessary to develop biomarkers for population screening and identification of at-risk individuals.

2.2. S. mansoni Mostafa et al. (1999) noted that there are no definitive reports linking the geographical occurrence of cancer with the prevalence of S. mansoni infection. Edington (1979) failed to find a strong association between

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S. mansoni and the occurrence of liver cancer in Africa and South America. Parkin (1986) found uniform geographic distribution of colorectal cancer in Africa despite wide variations in the prevalence of S. mansoni infection. Murray (1967) studied colorectal tumour specimens throughout Africa and found that evidence of S. mansoni infection was no more common than could be predicted by known prevalence of infection. The IARC (1994) reported cases of liver cancer associated with S. mansoni infection in Egypt, Mozambique, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Puerto Rico and Brazil. Cases of colorectal cancer associated with S. mansoni have been reported in Egypt and Lebanon. Andrade and Abreu (1971) and later Paes and Marigo (1981) described a total of 14 giant follicular lymphomas found in 1577 spleens removed in patients with portal hypertension due to S. mansoni infection. The IARC (1994) noted that S. mansoni infection has also been linked to prostate cancer, rectal carcinoid tumour, renal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer and leiomyosarcoma of the uterus. Cheever et al. (1978) noted that acute S. mansoni infection is characterized by a severe inflammatory response to mature parasite eggs in tissues. Large granulomas develop with microscopic features of round cell and eosinophilic infiltration, areas of necrosis and fibrosis. Kamel et al. (1978) described the hepatic disease of late-stage S. mansoni infection. Portal radicles are obstructed by granulomas forming around schistosome eggs. Inflammation progresses to fibrosis, with the end-stage clay pipe stem fibrosis resulting in portal hypertension. Smith et al. (1977) described colonic inflammatory pseudopolyposis in 30 Egyptian males infected with S. mansoni, S. haematobium or both. The majority of the pseudopolyps were found in the rectosigmoid. Microscopic findings included round cell and eosinophilic infiltration, proliferative changes in the colonic glands and ulcers on the polyp surfaces. Animal experimental models exist for S. mansoni that mimic infection and pathogenesis as it occurs in the human host. Warren (1973) studied the murine host and found that S. mansoni infection in mice produced granuloma formation and fibrosis. Sixty-three percent of eggs produced by the parasite were retained in the porto-mesenteric venous system where a delayed hypersensitivity granulomatous reaction ensued in the intestine and liver. Hepatomegaly and obstruction to portal blood flow produced portal hypertension similar to human infection. Olds et al. (1989) noted that the granulomas were eventually replaced by fibrosis when the lymphocytes, mononuclear cells and eosinophils were displaced by ingrowth of scar tissue. Lukacs and Boros (1993) found that interleukins 2 and 4 as well as interferon-gamma were cytokines involved in the induction of granulomas. Warren (1973) also noted that chimpanzees and baboons could be experimentally infected with S. mansoni producing disease paralleling human infection.

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Shimkin et al. (1955) studied mice injected with lyophilized immature S. mansoni worms but found no tumours at the injection sites. There were three hepatomas and one pulmonary tumour among nine surviving mice necropsied at 24 months, similar to tumour incidence among non-infected controls. The IARC (1994) cited six studies between 1967 and 1985 in which there were no greater incidence of liver tumours in mice infected with S. mansoni as compared with uninfected control groups. For this reason, investigators have looked at the effects of S. mansoni infection in combination with known carcinogen exposure. El-Aaser et al. (1978) treated six groups of Swiss albino mice: the first group with S. mansoni infection by immersion in water containing 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30 cercariae per milliliter for 1 h, the second group with 2-naphthylamine in the diet, the third group with S. mansoni and 2-naphthylamine exposure, the fourth group with 2-acetylaminofluorene in the diet, the fifth group with S. mansoni and 2-acteylaminofluorene exposure and a sixth group of untreated controls. All of the mice infected with S. mansoni had portal granulomas and eggs in the faeces. The investigators found that no liver or bladder tumours were noted in mice from any study group. Kakizoe (1985) compared 109 mice divided into 3 groups: those given intraperitoneal injections of 20 cercariae of S. mansoni and fed 4 weeks later with 2-acetylaminofluroene, those infected with S. mansoni fed normal diets and uninfected mice fed 4 weeks later with 2-acteylaminofluorene. After 40 weeks, the mice infected with S. mansoni alone exhibited no liver tumours. Uninfected mice exposed to the carcinogen had a 6.3% incidence of hyperplastic liver nodules. In the combined treatment group, 20% had hyperplastic nodules and 27% had evidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. The IARC (1994) cited six studies between 1973 and 1984 evaluating the effects of S. mansoni infection in conjunction with administration of anti-schistosomal agents. Uninfected and infected groups of mice and hamsters were given hycanthone, niridazole and SQ 18506 and studied for possible tumour induction. Experimental endpoints included hyperplastic liver nodules, hepatomas and stomach tumours. Although results of these studies were inconclusive, some reports of lower tumour incidences might presumably be due to reduction or elimination of schistosomal infection in the experimental animals. Oettle et al. (1959) infected 200 rats (Mastomys natalensis) with intraperitoneal injection of S. mansoni cercariae and followed them up to 2.5 years until end of life. Presence of infection was confirmed by stool egg counts and post-mortem by examination of the liver and intestines for adult worms and egg granulomas. At study end, 106 animals had confirmed infection. Gastric carcinoid tumours were found in 23/106 (22%) similar to the 20% rate in noninfected control animals. Hepatomas were found in 22/106 (21%) while being notably absent among controls. Two animals (2%) showed evidence of reticulum cell sarcoma of the colon and ileum at the sites of

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schistosomal granulomas. Abe et al. (1993) reported a 12-year-old chimpanzee with hepatocellular carcinoma and coexisting S. mansoni infection as demonstrated by a granulomatous inflammatory reaction in the liver with schistosomal egg remnants. Badawi et al. (1993) infected mice with S. mansoni cercariae and found promutagenic methylation damage in the form of 06-methyldeoxyguanosine in liver DNA. They also demonstrated that levels of hepatic 06-methyldeoxyguanosine rose with increasing intensity of schistosomal infection. The authors postulated that S. mansoni may have an activating effect on murine macrophages stimulating them to produce N-nitroso compounds capable of producing the DNA methylation damage. Mostafa et al. (1993) studied mice infected with cercariae from S. mansoni by necropsying the animals from 15 to 75 days post-infection and analyzing their livers for changes in the ability to metabolize carcinogens. Increases in the cytochromes p450 and b5 as well as in arylhydrocarbon hydrolase peaked 30 days following S. mansoni infection and continued at steady elevated levels throughout the study period. These changes during the early stages of schistosomal infection could result in the generation of active metabolites capable of acting as proneoplastic initiating agents. Habib et al. (1996) investigated the effect of S. mansoni infection on the ability of the human liver to metabolize carcinogens. Clinical data showed an increase in alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and aspartate aminotransferase by 74%, 82% and 100%, respectively, in infected patients. Hepatic levels of cytochrome p450, cytochrome b-5 and (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) NADPH cytochrome C reductase were reduced by 52%, 61% and 72%, respectively. In vitro studies showed that these enzymatic alterations caused metabolites of aflatoxin to increase by 308%, supporting a potential role for S. mansoni in potentiating the deleterious effects of environmental carcinogens by impairing the detoxification capacity of the infected liver. Zalata et al. (2005) investigated the expression pattern of p53, Bcl-2 and C-Myc in 75 Egyptian colorectal cancer specimens with 36 lymph node metastases by immunohistochemistry techniques with monoclonal antibodies. The patients were separated into two groups: the first with proven S. mansoni infection and the second without evidence of such infection. Although expression of p53 and CMyc was similar in both groups, 58.3% of S. mansoni-infected colorectal cancer patients were Bcl-2 positive as compared to only 33.3% of the non-infected group. Apoptotic activity was greater in the tumours of the non-infected group. Zalata et al. (2005) concluded by theorizing that genotoxic agents produced endogenously during S. mansoni infection might be involved in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer with the overexpression of Bcl-2 leading to a reduction in programmed cell death in potential latent tumour foci. Thors et al. (2006)

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tested the hypothesis that sera from patients with schistosomiasis crossreacts with carcinomas. Eight-week-old mice were injected with 100 S. mansoni cercariae. Animals were killed 8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;11 weeks post-infection and intravascular worms were recovered, livers were harvested for immunohistological staining and pooled serum was collected. The authors looked for carcinoma markers in schistosome adult worms and eggs using special monoclonal antibodies raised against various tumour antigens such as MUC1, Tn and TF (oncofetal Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen). The TF epitope has been associated with increased tumour grade, likelihood of relapse and tumour aggression in human cancers. Immunohistochemical staining revealed TF on adult worms and eggs. TF immunoreactivity was concentrated in the tegument and in the cytons of the worms, as well as in and outside eggs trapped in the liver. The localization of the immunofluorescence suggested that the TF epitope is expressed by excretoryâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;secretory products of S. mansoni. Thors et al. (2006) also demonstrated that mice infected with S. mansoni produced antibodies against TF. Due to the complexities of the hostâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;parasite relationship the significance of this finding is unclear. However, such an anti-schistosomal response on the part of the host may interfere with competitive binding of parasite and tumour TF glycans on host vascular endothelial and hepatocyte carbohydrate receptors, possibly inhibiting the progression of carcinogenesis. Although reports of cancer of the liver, colon and lymphatic system have been confirmed in association with S. mansoni infection, the IARC (1994) concluded that there is inadequate evidence to support the carcinogenicity of S. mansoni infection in humans (group 3). Much of the more recent work remains inconclusive. Further study is required to identify a definitive role for S. mansoni infection in carcinogenesis.

2.3. S. japonicum Dimmette et al. (1959) first suggested an association between S. japonicum infection and the development of colon cancer in humans. Since this early report, subsequent evidence has been inconsistent in confirming the carcinogenicity of S. japonicum. Although the geographical occurrence of cancer in endemic areas has been well studied, difficulties arise when investigators are forced to account for varying distributions of other known causes of the same malignancies, such as viral hepatitis, aflatoxins and other dietary carcinogens. Liu et al. (1983) studied the correlation between the mortality from schistosomiasis and the mortality from cancers of the liver, colon, oesophagus and stomach in 24 Chinese provinces of varying S. japonicum prevalence and in 6 provinces with high infectivity. Correlation was found between mortality from schistosomiasis and from liver cancer in two provinces of high endemicity. Guo et al. (1984) found no such correlation

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in their analysis of 24 provinces in China, including the highly endemic Jiangsu Province. Inaba et al. (1977) noted that the mortality from liver cancer in the endemic Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, was significantly higher as compared to non-endemic areas (95% confidence level). Liu et al. (1983) did find a significantly positive correlation between mortality from schistosomiasis and death from cancers of the oesophagus and stomach in the Jiangxi Province, but results from the other 29 provinces studied were inconclusive. Guo et al. (1984) were unable to find a positive correlation between the prevalence of S. japonicum infection and mortality rates from oesophageal and stomach cancers in the Jiangsu Province. Liu et al. (1983) demonstrated a positive correlation between mortality from colorectal cancer and mortality from S. japonicum infection in 24 Chinese provinces (r ¼ 0.695 in males and 0.625 in females). Guo et al. (1984) found a positive correlation between colorectal cancer mortality and endemicity in seven counties of Jiangsu Province, China (r ¼ 0.63). Xu and Su (1984) confirmed the correlation between colorectal cancer mortality and prevalence of infection in Zhejiang Province, China. Li (1988) noted the correlation between colorectal cancer mortality and the incidence of S. japonicum infection in 12 Southern Chinese Provinces (r ¼ 0.71), although possible confounding by low levels of dietary selenium was present. Chen et al. (1990) proved the correlation between colorectal cancer and S. japonicum mortality rates in 65 rural Chinese counties (r ¼ 0.89, p < 0.001) with results adjusted for dietary micronutrient variables. Guo et al. (1993) confirmed the strong association between mortality from colorectal cancer and mortality from schistosomiasis, and attributed the continued high incidence of colonic malignancy in endemic areas to persistent large populations of chronically infected individuals, despite public health initiatives to eradicate the disease. Kojiro et al. (1986) presented a series of 59 autopsy cases of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with S. japonicum infection proven by positive skin testing or direct histological evidence. Kitani and Iuchi (1990) documented cases of liver cancer in patients with schistosomal-induced cirrhosis, with the assumption that cirrhosis is a risk factor for hepatocellular malignancy. Case series of cancer of the stomach associated with evidence of S. japonicum infection have been reported in Japan, most recently by Zhou (1986). Case series of colorectal cancer associated with S. japonicum have been documented also in Japan, most recently by Sekiguchi et al. (1989). Similar to findings with S. haematobium infection, patients in the above series tended to be of younger age than did similar patients with liver, stomach and colorectal cancer without S. japonicum infection. Additional malignancies reported in association with S. japonicum infection include breast, lung, skin and parotid cancers, as well as malignant schwannoma (IARC, 1994).

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Iuchi et al. (1971) reported that 85.2% of 52 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma had positive antigen skin tests for S. japonicum, as compared to 68.2% among 217 hospitalized control patients without the diagnosis of malignancy. Guo and Lu (1987) presented data from a cohort study of 3 groups of 166 patients each: group 1â&#x20AC;&#x201D;patients who died from hepatocellular carcinoma, group 2â&#x20AC;&#x201D;patients who died from other cancers and group 3â&#x20AC;&#x201D;patients in good health. All three cohorts were similar with respect to age, sex and prevalence of S. japonicum exposure. Group 1 had an odds ratio for schistosomal infection of 2.2 (p < 0.01) as compared to groups 2 and 3. The relative risk of cancer increased as did the time interval since the initial diagnosis of S. japonicum infection. Amano (1980) compared two cohorts each having surgery in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. In the first group, 362 patients had operative treatment of their stomach cancer. In the second group, 897 patients had surgery for nonmalignant disease of the stomach or duodenum. The author found histological evidence of S. japonicum eggs 1.8 times more frequently in the group with gastric carcinoma than in the control group. Amano (1980) also noted S. japonicum eggs 1.2 times more frequently in 102 patients with proven colorectal cancer than among 96 matched controls. Xu and Su (1984) studied three cohorts of patients: the first with colorectal cancer, the second with other types of cancer and the third group of healthy controls. In the endemic Jiangsu Province, China, an odds ratio (for S. japonicum infection) of 8.3 was determined for rectal cancer patients when compared to patients with other cancer types. An odds ratio of 4.5 was found when comparing rectal cancer patients to healthy controls. The authors could not prove a significant relationship between colon (excluding rectal) cancer cases and past exposure to schistosomiasis. Guo and Lu (1987) compared cohorts of patients who died from colon cancer with matched lung cancer and normal controls from the same endemic Chinese province. When the colon cancer group was compared to normal controls, an odds ratio of 2.4 was determined for early-stage S. japonicum infection, and an odds ratio of 5.5 for late-stage infection. Odds ratios of 2.4 and 5.7 were found for early and late-stage S. japonicum infection when comparing the colon cancer cohort with lung cancer controls. Colon cancer risk was noted to increase from 1.2 with less than 10 years of S. japonicum infection, to 4.3 with greater than 30 years of schistosomal disease. The IARC (1994) noted that studies on the association between liver cancer and S. japonicum infection have encountered difficulty with confounding by concomitant hepatitis viral infection. Qiu et al. (2005) examined liver and colon cancers and their relationship with schistosomiasis japonica in Sichuan, China. One hundred and twenty seven liver cancer patients and 142 colon cancer patients were each paired with matched controls. Only viral hepatitis negative pairs were used in the study.

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Prior S. japonicum infection was associated with liver cancer (odds ratio 3.7, 95% CI) and with colon cancer (3.3, 95% CI). Their results indicated that 24% of colon cancer and 27% of liver cancer is attributable to schistosomiasis japonica. Amano and Oshima (1988) infected 395 mice by exposing the skin on their shaved abdomens to five or six S. japonicum cercariae. Eight to 10 weeks later, 163 showed evidence of eggs in the faeces indicating infection. Seventy of the infected animals survived until the study endpoint of 50 weeks. Upon necropsy, 9 of the 70 surviving infected micehad no histological evidence of eggs in the liver or intestine and were excluded from the study. Forty-eight of the remaining 61 infected mice had developed hepatomas. No hepatomas were noted in 61 noninfected controls. Miyasato (1984) studied 77 mice infected by immersion of their tails in water containing 40 S. japonicum cercariae and later fed a diet containing the known carcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene for 40 weeks. Results were compared to a control group of 86 non-infected mice exposed to the dietary carcinogen for 40 weeks. Upon necropsy, liver tumours were found in 24 of 77 (31%) carcinogen-treated infected mice as compared to 6 of 86 (7%) carcinogen-treated control animals. Kurniawan et al. (1976) described the host granulomatous response to eggs of S. japonicum as differing from that seen in schistosomiasis mansoni. Granulomas developed around nests or groupings of eggs, rather than around individual eggs. In early-stage infection, lesions were filled with eosinophils, histiocytes and lymphocytes and resembled abscesses with areas of central necrosis. In late-stage disease, histiocytes predominated in the granulomas, and multi-nucleated giant cells were seen phagocytosing egg shells trapped in host tissues. The mature granuloma is fibrotic with features of hyaline degeneration. Chen et al. (1980) studied 289 cases of S. japonicum-associated colorectal cancer and compared them to 165 colorectal cancer cases without documented schistosomiasis. Cases of S. japonicum-associated colorectal cancer were more often well-differentiated (91.6%) as compared to the control group (69.1%). The control group had a 29% incidence of benign papillary and adenomatous polyps as compared to 6.4% of the cases with schistosomiasis. Chen et al. (1981) later examined 60 colectomy specimens from patients with schistosomiasis japonica. Thirty-six specimens exhibited dysplasia, most often occurring in pseudopolyps or in the regenerative mucosa at the periphery of colonic ulcers, changes seen in association with chronic schistosomal colitis. Irie and Iwamura (1993) used in situ hybridization techniques with P32-labelled probes in mice to demonstrate host DNA sequences in both the subtegumental layer and inner tissues of S. japonicum adult worms. Matsuoka et al. (1989) reported reduced levels of the liver enzyme

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cytochrome p450 in mice with schistosomiasis japonica, possibly impairing the ability of their livers to metabolize carcinogens. Arimoto et al. (1992) used the carcinogen Trp-P-2 as a substrate to demonstrate that hepatic homogenates from S. japonicum-infected mice had lower mutagen activating capacity than did liver fractions from non-infected control mice. Hasler et al. (1986) found that microsomes from infected mice were less effective in binding aflatoxin B1 than were microsomes from control animals. Aji et al. (1994) showed that mice infected with S. japonicum maintained higher levels of Trp-P-2 (following intravenous administration of the chemical) than did uninfected control mice. This suggested a lowered metabolism and increased mutagen retention in animals with schistosomiasis japonica. Haematin-containing pigments in the host liver produced during S. japonicum infection were efficient absorbents for Trp-P-2. These pigments may function as reservoirs for mutagens, prolonging exposure of the liver to the deleterious effects of these agents. Ishii et al. (1989) studied the mutagenicity and tumour-producing activity of S. japonicum parasite extracts. In bacterial mutagenicity testing using Salmonella typhimurium and E. coli, schistosomal soluble egg antigen and adult worm homogenates failed to show any positive responses. Schistosomal soluble egg antigen did have a weak but significant induction of Epsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; Barr virus expression in in vitro cultures of human lymphoblastoid cells. The authors concluded that the possibility that soluble egg antigens from S. japonicum possess tumour-promoting activity warrants further study. Zhang et al. (1998) examined 44 Chinese patients with rectal cancer for p53 tumour suppressor gene mutations. The 44 patients were divided into 22 cases with advanced schistosomiasis japonica and 22 without S. japonica infection. Thirteen mutations were found in 10 patients with schistosomal-associated rectal cancer. Of 11 base substitutions, 7 were at CpG dinucleotides, a location associated with endogenous mutagenic processes. In the non-schistosomal rectal cancer patients, 13 mutations were found in 9 cases, with only 3 of the base pair substitutions being located at CpG dinucleotides. Arginine missense mutations also occurred with greater frequency in the infected group. The results suggested that the mutations found in schistosomal-associated rectal cancer arise from endogenous genotoxic agents produced during the natural course of schistosomiasis japonica. The authors concluded that the pattern of p53 mutation seen in schistosomal-associated rectal cancer suggests that S. japonicum is a special factor in carcinogenesis. The IARC (1994) stated that there is limited evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of infection with S. japonicum, classifying the parasite as possibly carcinogenic or group 2B. Although subsequent molecular biological work appears promising, further study is required to strengthen this association.

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2.4. O. viverrini Bunnag et al. (2000) described the life cycle of O. viverrini as being complex with two intermediate hosts, a first intermediate snail host and a second intermediate fish host. The adult liver fluke lives in the human biliary system, including the hepatic ducts, proximal and distal common bile duct, gallbladder and pancreatic duct. Adults of O. viverrini are transparent leaf-shaped worms, approximately 8–12 mm in length, that move about within the biliary tract producing mechanical irritation and finally pathologic changes in the ductal epithelium. The fluke produces eggs which are passed from the bile into the faeces. Upon reaching fresh water, miracidia hatch from eggs swallowed by various species of Bithynia snails. After 4–6 weeks, cercariae are released that penetrate cyprinoid fresh water fish. When man, the definitive host, consumes raw or improperly cooked fish containing metacercariae of O. viverrini, the worms excyst in the duodenum and migrate to the bile ducts where they mature within a month. The association between infection with O. viverrini and carcinogenesis has been extensively studied. Viranuvatti and Mettiyawongse (1953) were the first to describe case reports of liver and bile duct cancer associated with O. viverrini infection, confirmed at autopsy in Thailand. Among patients from endemic areas with cancer of the liver or biliary tract, cases of cholangiocarcinoma predominate, as compared to a greater proportion of hepatocellular carcinoma in non-endemic regions. Srivatanakul et al. (1988) found that the highest incidence data from the National Cancer Registry was in Khon Kaen Province in Northeastern Thailand, coinciding with the greatest prevalence of O. viverrini infection. The proportionate incidence ratio was 3.1 for cholangiocarcinoma and 1.2 for hepatocellular carcinoma (both at 95% confidence interval). Parkin et al. (1993) noted that the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma in Khon Kaen Province was 84.6 per 100,000 per year for men and 36.8 for women. This compares to control rates outside of Thailand of 0.2–2.8 for men and 0.1–4.8 for women. The incidence of cholangiocarcinoma, in the region of highest O. viverrini prevalence in Thailand, was more than 40 times greater than for any other geographic area. Vatanasapt et al. (1990) identified the highest incidence and mortality rates for liver cancer in three districts in Khon Kaen Province, two of which had high rates of O. viverrini prevalence and heavy infections (as determined by fluke eggs/g of stool). Srivatanakul et al. (1991a) studied the correlation between the incidence of liver cancer and antibody titers to O. viverrini and faecal egg counts in five regions throughout Thailand. The correlation between cholangiocarcinoma incidence and the proportion of people with antibody titers >1:40 was 0.98 (p ¼ 0.0004). There was a weaker association

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with faecal egg counts, possibly due to the introduction of populationbased effective drug therapy. Antibody levels were believed to be more reliable indicators of past or present infection. Sriamporn et al. (2004) examined residents of 20 districts in the endemic Khon Kaen Province, Thailand, for the presence of O. viverrini infection using faecal egg counts. The incidence of cholangiocarcinoma was obtained for each district from the national cancer registry. Prevalence of infection varied from district to district (2.1–71.8%), for an overall prevalence of 24.5%. Incidence of cholangiocarcinoma also varied between districts, ranging from 93.8 to 317.6 per 100,000 patient years. A positive association was demonstrated between the prevalence of O. viverrini infection and the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma at the population level. Kurathong et al. (1985) reported a case–control study of 551 patients from Northeast Thailand, all of whom were screened for the presence of O. viverrini eggs in the stool. Nineteen of 25 patients with cholangiocarcinoma and 9 of 12 with hepatocellular carcinoma had evidence of opisthorchiasis. Crude prevalence odds ratios were 1.3 for cholangiocarcinoma and 1.3 for hepatocellular carcinoma. Parkin et al. (1991) conducted a case–control study of 103 patients with cholangiocarcinoma diagnosed at 3 hospitals in Northeast Thailand. One control was matched to each case based on sex, age, residence and hospital, from a pool of patients with non-malignant disease unrelated to alcohol or tobacco abuse. The presence of O. viverrini infection was determined by ELISA testing for antibody titers. The matched odds ratio from their multivariate model was 5.0 (95% CI, 2.3–11.0) for cholangiocarcinoma. No association with Hepatitis B infection or aflatoxin ingestion was found. O. viverrini infection was not found to be significantly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. Haswell-Elkins et al. (1994a) collected stool samples from 7727 subjects from Khon Kaen Province and from 4585 subjects from Maha Sarakham Province, both endemic areas in Northeast Thailand. Fifteen percent of 1807 uninfected or lightly infected (<3000 fluke eggs/g of stool) patients were selected randomly to undergo abdominal ultrasound exams. All subjects with higher intensity O. viverrini infection were also sent for ultrasound testing. In all, 78% of the subjects complied with ultrasound examination, and 44 cases of cholangiocarcinoma were identified. Among 410 uninfected patients, only 1 case of cholangiocarcinoma was found. The relationship of cholangiocarcinoma to O. viverrini infection was demonstrated by multi-variate prevalence odds ratios at the 95% CI as follows: 1.7 for subjects with up to 1500 fluke eggs/g of stool, 3.2 for 1501–6000 eggs/g and 14 for greater than 6000 eggs/g. Honjo et al. (2005) noted that although O. viverrini infection is endemic in Northeast Thailand, less than 10% of the inhabitants develop cholangiocarcinoma. They suggested that although O. viverrini is associated with

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the development of bile duct cancer, other environmental and genetic factors may also play a role. They conducted a population-based caseâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; control study in which age, sex and place of residence were matched individually. The greatest risk indicator for cholangiocarcinoma was elevated antibodies to O. viverrini >0.200 by ELISA (odds ratio 27.1 at 95% CI when compared to antibody levels <0.200). Polymorphism of the glutathione S-transferase, mu 1 (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase, theta (GSTT1) genes alone, were not risk factors for bile duct cancer. However, those subjects with elevated antibodies to O. viverrini had higher odds ratios for polymorphism of the GSTM1 gene. Additional independent risk factors for cholangiocarcinoma were alcohol ingestion (possibly due to an effect on pathways for endogenous and exogenous nitrosamines), smoking and consuming fermented fish. Animal studies have provided limited evidence that infection with O. viverrini alone is carcinogenic. Infection with O. viverrini together with administration of known carcinogens was first studied by Thamavit et al. (1978). Male Syrian hamsters were divided into four groups: (1) untreated controls, (2) animals receiving N-nitrosodimethylamine in their drinking water, (3) animals treated with 100 metacercariae of O. viverrini administered by intragastric intubation and (4) animals infected with O. viverrini and 4 weeks later (when fluke eggs appeared in their stools) fed N-nitrosodimethylamine. Animals were killed at 23 weeks. All 21 infected hamsters that received the carcinogen (group 4) developed cholangiocarcinoma. Bile duct tumours were not found in the controls (group 1), nor in animals treated with either O. viverrini metacercariae (group 3) or N-nitrosodimethylamine alone (group 2). Results were significant at p < 0.001. Thamavit et al. (1988) noted that, under certain conditions, the ingestion of nitrite and aminopyrine can form N-nitrosodimethylamine in the stomach. In their study of 150 Syrian hamsters, the combined administration of nitrite and aminopyrine in the drinking water, together with 100 metacercariae of O. viverrini delivered by gastric intubation, was associated with significant increases in the occurrence of hepatocellular nodules (odds ratio Âź 8, p < 0.05), cholangiofibrosis (18, p < 0.05) and cholangiocarcinomas (14, p < 0.01). The carcinogenicity N-nitrosodimethylamine administered to hamsters infected with O. viverrini metacercariae was also confirmed by Flavell and Lucas (1983) and Thamavit et al. (1994a). Moore et al. (1991) studied the effect of intraperitoneal injection of N-nitrosodihydroxydi-n-propylamine in hamsters infected with O. viverrini by intragastric exposure of 80 metacercariae/animal. A total of 100 hamsters were divided into 4 groups: 10 untreated controls, 20 infected with O. viverrini, 30 receiving 3 intraperitoneal injections of 500 mg/kg of the carcinogen at 16, 17 and 18 weeks, and 40 treated by both O. viverrini metacercariae and the carcinogen. All animals were killed at week 52 of the study, and were examined histologically.

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Cholangiocarcinoma was found in 50% of the combined treatment group, and in 0% receiving the carcinogen alone (p Âź 0.001). Thamavit et al. (1993) in a multi-armed controlled study of 205 Syrian hamsters investigated the effect of infection with O. viverrini in combination with carcinogen exposure and administration of the antihelminthic drug, praziquantel. All animals were killed at 38 weeks post-treatment and studied pathologically. Of 16 Syrian hamsters given both N-nitrosodihydroxydin-propylamine and opisthorchiasis, 16 (100%) developed cholangiofibrosis, 8 (50%) developed cholangiocarcinomas and 16 (100%) developed hepatic nodulesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with an occurrence of 13.6 nodules/cm2. In a similar group of 44 animals with opisthorchiasis and carcinogen exposure, praziquantel reduced the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma to 4/22 (18%) if the drug was given 4 weeks following infection, and to 6/22 (27%) if given at 12 weeks. Praziquantel also reduced the multiplicity of liver nodules to 3.6 and 7.4 nodules/cm2 in the 4 and 12 week dosage-groups, respectively. Cholangiofibrosis was a universal finding in all test animals treated with the carcinogen, O. viverrini metacercariae and praziquantel, with the exception of those treated with praziquantel at 4 weeks following infection which reduced the incidence to 8/22 (36%). Two of 18 (11%) hamsters treated with O. viverrini metacercariae alone had evidence of cholangiocarcinoma. Riganti et al. (1989) described the pathological changes induced by O. viverrini infection. The flukes reside in the large and medium-sized bile ducts of the liver, and in cases of heavy infection, the gallbladder, common bile duct and pancreatic duct as well. Dilatation of the bile ducts with fibrosis of the periductal connective tissue was seen. Microscopically, hyperplasia, desquamation and adenomatous proliferation of the bile duct linings accompany infiltration with lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and plasma cells. Granulomatous reaction to eggs and dying flukes lead to periductal and portal scarring and fibrosis. In patients with heavy worm burdens, cellular infiltration may also result from secondary bacterial infection. Suppurative cholangitis can lead to multiple liver abscesses. Should opisthorchiasis involve the gallbladder, cholecystitis without stones may occur. Sripa and Kaewkes (2002) investigated histological changes in the gallbladder and extrahepatic ducts in hamsters infected with metacercariae of O. viverrini. Changes were noted between 7 and 14 days post-infection (PI), with active inflammation reaching a plateau at 60 days PI. Chronic histological findings included fibrosis and mononuclear cell infiltration with lymphoid aggregation. Ductal dilatation and pathological changes were more severe in the extrahepatic ducts than in the gallbladder. Sripa and Kaewkes (2002) concluded that these changes can be extrapolated to human infection. Gentile and Gentile (1994) noted that inflammatory responses in the infected host are believed to play a key role in carcinogenesis.

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Polymorphonuclear leukocytes and other host defences produce nitrates, nitrites, nitrosating agents and reactive oxygen species to kill invading helminths. The resultant free radicles can induce genetic damage in host tissue adjacent to sites of inflammation, leading to DNA strand breaks and chromosome mutations. Haswell-Elkins et al. (1994b) demonstrated increased levels of urinary nitrates and salivary nitrites in O. viverriniinfected subjects in Northeast Thailand, and found decreased concentration of these substances following treatment with praziquantel. Srivatanakul et al. (1991b) showed a 10-fold greater potential for endogenous nitrosation among people living in endemic areas with positive antibody titers for O. viverrini as compared to uninfected controls. Urinary levels of N-nitrosoproline following proline ingestion were measured. Tsuda et al. (1992) studied point mutations on the c-Ki-ras protooncogene in patients with cholangiocarcinoma with and without concomitant opisthorchiasis. Mutations were discovered at codon 12, in five of nine non-infected Japanese subjects with cholangiocarcinoma. Of six Thai patients with cholangiocarcinoma and O. viverrini infection, none had evidence of these mutations. Kiba et al. (1993) found, in a study of two similar sets of cholangiocarcinoma patients, that both groups shared a common mutation at the p53 tumour suppressor gene. Wongratanacheewin et al. (1987) infected Syrian hamsters with O. viverrini and noted a depressed lymphoproliferative response to phytohaemaglutinin, indicative of immunosuppression. Makarananda et al. (1991) demonstrated that infection with O. viverrini enhances the host response to chemical carcinogens. Infected hamsters showed a significantly higher level of aflatoxin B1 metabolites than did uninfected control animals. Their results suggested increased expression of carcinogenmetabolizing enzymes. Kirby et al. (1994) found cytochrome p450 isozymes in the livers of hamsters infected with O. viverrini, concentrated in hepatocytes immediately adjacent to areas of inflammation. The cytochrome enzyme contributed to 50â&#x20AC;&#x201C;60% of the metabolism of aflatoxin B1 and N-nitrosodiethylamine in infected male, and to 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30% in infected female hamsters. Oshima et al. (1994) showed increased nitrosamine and nitrate production by nitric oxide synthase in hamsters infected with O. viverrini. Nitric oxide synthase was found in macrophages and eosinophils at sites of inflammation in liver tissue, at levels twice as great as in uninfected control animals. More recently, Sithithaworn et al. (2002) found that tenascin, an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, is an integral factor in reciprocal interactions between the epithelium and mesenchyme during tumourigenesis. The expression of tenasin in the livers of Syrian golden hamsters was studied in a model of O. viverrini-associated cholangiocarcinoma. The glycoprotein was expressed in the walls of dilated bile duct and surrounding tissue, as well as in the stroma of cholangiocarcinoma nodules. The

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stroma of necrotic tumour nodules most strongly expressed tenascin. Stroma cells also exhibited an mRNA signal for tenascin production. Pinlaor et al. (2003) recalled that nucleic acid damage caused by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species associated with chronic infection and inflammation, may be carcinogenic. They studied 8-nitroguanine, 8-oxo7,8-dihydro-20 -deoxyguanosine and nitric oxide production in hamsters with opisthorchiasis. Immunohistohemical testing showed evidence of damaged DNA in the cytoplasm and to a lesser extent in the nuclei of inflammatory cells and bile duct epithelium, reaching a peak on day 30 post-infection. The time profile of the appearance of the damaged nucleic acids paralleled that of plasma nitrate and nitrite. Pinlaor et al. (2004a) also demonstrated that in the livers of O. viverrini-infected hamsters, haem oxygenase-1 expression and subsequent iron accumulation may enhance oxidative DNA damage in the epithelium of small bile ducts. Pinlaor et al. (2004b) further postulated that the chronic inflammation induced by repeated infection with O. viverrini is a risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma development. Again using the hamster model, inducible nitric oxide synthase expression was increased in the bile duct epithelium at 90 days following repeated infection with O. viverrini. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen appeared in the bile duct epithelium 90 days following repeat infection, supporting the role of inflammationmediated DNA damage in promoting cell proliferation. They concluded that repeated O. viverrini infections induce expression of nitric oxide synthase in inflammatory cells and bile duct epithelium that causes oxidative and nitrosative damage to nucleic acids. The resultant promotion of cell proliferation is an important step towards the development of cholangiocarcinoma. Pinlaor et al. (2005) investigated the mechanism by which O. viverrini induces inflammation in and adjacent to bile ducts leading to human cholangiocarcinoma. The expression of Toll-like receptors was examined in a RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line treated with antigen from O. viverrini, using immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Toll-like receptors are cell membrane receptors that actively participate in the immune response. The antigen exposure induced expression of Toll-like receptor-2, nuclear factor-kappaB, inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in a dose-dependent fashion. It appears that O. viverrini produces an inflammatory response through a Toll-like receptor pathway. This results in a nuclear factor-kappaB-mediated expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. Thuwajit et al. (2004) postulated that in addition to the direct damage to the bile ducts by O. viverrini, excretory/secretory products released by the flukes may play an important role in carcinogenesis. To test this theory, a no-contact co-culture technique was used. Worms were kept in an upper chamber with no direct contact with a NIH-3T3 fibroblast cell line in the lower chamber. Results showed a marked increase in fibroblast

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cell proliferation compared to controls without parasites. Excretory/ secretory products of O. viverrini stimulated expression of phosphorylated retinoblastoma and cyclin D1, both proteins that drive cells through the G1/S transition point in the S-phase of the cell cycle. Exposure to the excretory/secretory products also transformed the fibroblast cells into a more refractive and narrow shape, enabling more effective proliferation in the limited space of the culture area. The direct effect of excretory/ secretory products on cell proliferation may clarify changes in the human bile ducts induced by O. viverrini during cholangiocarcinogenesis. Sripa et al. (2005) took fresh liver biopsy and bile specimens from a 65-year-old woman living in an endemic area in Northeast Thailand with cholangiocarcinoma of the porta hepatis. A cholangiocarcinoma cell line was established after cells were digested and cultured in Hamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s F12 medium. The new cell line was tested by growth mechanics methodology, immunohistochemistry and cytogenetic techniques. Heterotransplantation into nude mice verified the tumourgenicity of the cell line. Malignant cells with O. viverrini eggs were identified in the bile specimens. Within 4 months, a cholangiocarcinoma cell line KKU-100 was established, characterized by expression of cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and Cancer antigen 125 (CA125). Cells were aneuploid with a modal chromosome number of 78 with noticeable structural changes. A transplantable poorly differentiated carcinoma similar to the original tumour was produced by inoculation of KKU-100 cells into nude mice. The discovery of an egg-proven, opisthorchiasis-associated cholangiocarcinoma cell line provides an excellent experimental model for further study. Pinlaor et al. (2006) studied the preventative effect of praziquantel on O. viverrini-induced cholangiocarcinogenesis. In a hamster model, a dramatic reduction in inflammatory cell infiltration was noted following a 1-week subtherapeutic course of praziquantel. Double immunofluorescence examination showed that drug treatment almost completely eliminated O. viverrini-induced, inducible nitric oxide synthase-dependent DNA damage, as measured by 8-nitroguanine and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-20 deoxyguanosine levels in the livers of test animals. Drug treatment not only reduced chemical evidence of DNA damage, but also reduced levels of nuclear factor-kappaB and inducible nitric oxide synthase in the bile duct epithelium. Overall nitrate and nitrite in the plasma and liver were also significantly lowered following treatment. The authors concluded that praziquantel treatment can act in a preventative manner against O. viverrini-induced cholangiocarcinogenesis by inhibiting inducible nitric oxide synthase-dependent DNA damage. The effect may be due to both anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory factors. Loilome et al. (2006) employed a hamster cholangiocarcinoma model, with cancer induction by O. viverrini infection and exposure to the carcinogen

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N-nitrosodimethylamine, to investigate the molecular processes of carcinogenesis. Methods to analyze genes included differential display-polymerase chain reaction and reverse Northern macroarray blot. Specimens from cholangiocarcinoma cells were compared to controls from normal liver and bile duct epithelium. Up-regulated gene expression included signal transduction protein kinase A regulatory subunit alpha (Prkar1a), myristoylated alanine-rich protein kinase C substrate, transcriptional factor LIM-4, oxysterol-binding protein, splicing regulatory protein 9, ubiquitin conjugating enzyme, P tubulin, P actin and collagen type VI. Prkar1a expression increased as lesions in the bile ducts progressed from hyperplasia to precancerous to cancer. The IARC (1994) concluded that infection with O. viverrini is carcinogenic to humans (group 1). Subsequent work has provided us with a better understanding of the molecular processes involved in O. viverriniinduced cholangiocarcinogenesis, which should stimulate the search for improved chemotherapeutics against this preventable malignancy.

2.5. C. sinensis Bunnag et al. (2000) noted that the life cycle of C. sinensis is similar to that of O. viverrini. Adults of C. sinensis are 10â&#x20AC;&#x201C;25 mm in length and 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5 mm in width. The first intermediate hosts are various species of hydrobiid snails, and more than 100 species of freshwater fish serve as second intermediate hosts. A month following human ingestion of metacercariae, adult flukes mature in the biliary tract, move up and down the ducts by attaching and detaching their two suckers and contracting and extending their bodies, and produce eggs which are passed in the stool. Data relevant to the carcinogenicity of C. sinensis will be reviewed. Watson-Wemyss (1919) reported the first case of carcinoma of the liver associated with infection by C. sinensis in a Chinese subject. Gibson (1971) found clonorchiasis on gross examination in 11 of 17 (65%) cases of cholangiocarcinoma and in 24 of 83 (29%) cases of hepatocellular carcinoma among 1484 autopsies performed in Hong Kong. The anticipated percentages for C. sinensis infection were 38% and 35% respectively, making the odds ratios 3.1 for cholangiocarcinoma and 0.73 for hepatocellular carcinoma (95% CI). Kim et al. (1974) examined autopsy and surgical specimen records from a hospital in Seoul, Korea with a low prevalence of clonorchiasis, and a second hospital in Pusan, Korea with a high incidence of C. sinensis infection. There were 386 cases of primary liver cancer among 1447 patients with liver disease in the non-endemic area, and 109 cases among 396 subjects in the endemic area. Infection with C. sinensis was determined by liver examination and stool sample analysis. Results demonstrated a weak positive association between liver cancer and C. sinensis infection (odds ratio 1.7, 95% CI). The association

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was stronger for cholangiocarcinoma (6.5 based on 54 cases) than for hepatocellular carcinoma (1.2 based on 423 cases). Chung and Lee (1976) found that 206 of 368 (56%) cases of primary liver cancer in the highly endemic area of Pusan, Korea had evidence of C. sinensis infection on stool sample analysis. A matching control group of 559 patients with diseases not affecting the liver was examined for clonorchiasis by faecal egg counts. A strong positive association between cholangiocarcinoma and C. sinensis infection was found (odds ratio 6.0, 95% CI), with a weaker association for hepatocellular carcinoma (1.1). Jang et al. (1990) reported that the livers of F344 rats given intragastric delivery of 60 metacercariae of C. sinensis and exposed 4 weeks later to N-nitrosodimethylamine at 25 mg/L** in the drinking water for 8 weeks, had significantly increased GST P-positive hepatic foci as compared to untreated control animals (p < 0.05). The intrahepatic presence of the P-positive or placental form of GST has been implicated in hepatocarcinogenesis. Animals that were infected with C. sinensis during or after exposure to N-nitrosodimethylamine did not exhibit such an effect. Lee et al. (1993) divided 48 Syrian golden hamsters into 4 groups: (1) 12 animals exposed to N-nitrosodimethylamine at 15 mg/L in the drinking water for 8 weeks, and 7 days later to 10 metacercariae of C. sinensis by intragastric intubation, (2) 12 receiving N-nitrosodimethylamine alone, (3) 12 exposed to the metacercariae alone and (4) 12 untreated controls. At 11 weeks, six of eight (75%) surviving infected animals exposed to N-nitrosodimethylamine developed cholangiocarcinomas, and all eight had evidence of cholangiofibrosis. Five of 12 (42%) animals exposed only to the fluke developed cholangiofibrosis. No control animals developed liver lesions. Lee et al. (1994) divided 90 Syrian golden hamsters into 6 groups of 15 animals each: (1) exposure to N-nitrosodimethylamine at 15 mg/L in the drinking water for 4 weeks, then delivery of 15 metacercariae of C. sinensis by intragastric intubation, followed by treatment with praziquantel at 200 mg/kg daily for 3 days, (2) infection with C. sinensis metacercariae, treatment with praziquantel for 3 days, then N-nitrosodimethylamine exposure, (3) simultaneous exposure to the metacercariae and the carcinogen, (4) N-nitrosodimethylamine exposure alone, (5) metacercariae exposure alone and (6) untreated controls. When animals were killed at 13 weeks, group 3, with concomitant C. sinensis infection and carcinogen treatment, had evidence of cholangiocarcinomas in 11/15 (73%), cholangiofibromas in 3/15 (20%) and cholangiofibrosis in 1/15 (7%). In group 1 treated with the carcinogen and later infected with C. sinensis and given praziquantel, 3/15 had cholangiocarcinomas (20%), 3/15 cholangiofibromas (20%) and 6/15 (40%) cholangiofibrosis. Group 2 given clonorchiasis, praziquantel and carcinogen exposure in that order, 11/15 (73%) had cholangiofibrosis. Group 4 given the carcinogen

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alone had 4/15 (27%) animals with cholangiofibromas and 5/15 (33%) with cholangiofibrosis. Group 5 infected with C. sinensis alone had 12/15 (80%) animals developing cholangiofibrosis. No animals in the untreated control group had evidence of precancerous or cancerous bile duct lesions. Iida (1985) infected a group of 60 female Syrian golden hamsters with 40 metacercariae of C. sinensis delivered orally, and fed them diets containing 0.03% 2-acetylaminofluorene for 40 weeks. Another group of 50 hamsters was exposed to the carcinogen alone. After 40 weeks, surviving animals from both groups were fed normal diets. Small numbers of animals were killed every 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4 weeks until the study was terminated at 54 weeks. For animals surviving beyond 25 weeks, the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma was significantly greater for the infected (11/14, 79%) than for the uninfected (6/17, 35%) groups (p < 0.05). Cholangiocarcinoma first appeared at 25 weeks in the infected group and at 35 weeks in the uninfected group. Only infected animals with cholangiocarcinoma exhibited metastatic spread to other organs. Park et al. (2000) studied 22 male Syrian golden hamsters for histopathologic changes in their biliary tracts induced by infection with C. sinensis and treatment with N-nitrosodimethylamine. Animals were divided into four groups: (1) untreated controls, (2) treatment with 10 metacercariae of C. sinensis, (3) treatment with 15 ppm of N-nitrosodimethylamine and (4) infection with C. sinensis and treatment with the carcinogen. Animals were killed after 12 weeks, and liver and biliary tissues were examined both by light microscopy and by immunohistochemistry stain for (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) PCNA and Bcl-2. Group 2 infected with C. sinensis alone had no cholangiocarcinoma, but evidence of cholangiofibrosis was present. Group 3 treated with the carcinogen alone had evidence of dilatation and hyperplasia of the bile ducts, but again no cholangiocarcinoma. Group 4 treated with both metacercariae of C. sinensis and N-nitrosodimethylamine had findings of bile duct hyperplasia, cholangiofibrosis, cholangiofibroma, goblet cell metaplasia and cholangiocarcinoma. The PCNA index was higher in cholangiocarcinoma and in premalignant lesions. There was no difference in expression of Bcl-2 protein in malignant and benign tissues. The study demonstrated that N-nitrosodimethylamine and C. sinensis had a synergistic effect on cholangiocarcinoma development in the hamster model. The higher PCNA index in bile duct hyperplasia, cholangiofibrosis, cholangiofibroma and goblet cell hyperplasia suggests that these are premalignant or precursor lesions for cholangiocarcinoma. Lee et al. (1995) noted that the stem cell hypothesis for the development of liver cancer states that bipolar liver stem cells may differentiate into either hepatocytes or biliary cells. Under carcinogenic stimuli, the stem cell is initiated and gives rise to either hepatocellular carcinoma or

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cholangiocarcinoma. By choosing certain carcinogenic promoters, the incidence of either type of liver cancer can be experimentally modulated. In this study, 90 Syrian golden hamsters were divided into 6 groups of 15 animals each: (1) treatment with 15 ppm N-nitrosodimethylamine in drinking water for 4 weeks, then infection with 15 metacercariae of C. sinensis, followed by praziquantel at 200 mg/kg for 3 days, (2) infection with C. sinensis, praziquantel at week 5, followed 1 week later by carcinogen administration, (3) simultaneous infection and carcinogen exposure, (4) N-nitrosodimethylamine alone, (5) C. sinensis infection alone and (6) untreated controls. All hamsters were killed at 13 weeks. Cholangiocarcinomas were found in 3/15 (20%) of group 1 (carcinogen, C. sinensis infection, praziquantel) and in 11/15 (73%) of group 3 (simultaneous carcinogen and C. sinensis infection). No other groups had evidence of cholangiocarcinoma, although findings of cholangiofibroma, cholangiofibrosis and bile duct hyperplasia were present in varying degrees throughout the other treatment groups. Of note was the observation that cholangiocarcinoma did not develop when animals were infected with C. sinensis for 5 weeks, given praziquantel, then 1 week later administered N-nitrosodimethylamine (group 2). Infection with C. sinensis alone produced oval cell and bile duct hyperplasia, but not cholangiocarcinoma. These results suggested that cholangiocarcinomas were promoted by C. sinensis infection following induction by N-nitrosodimethylamine. The bile duct proliferation stimulated by C. sinensis infection may act as a promoter for the carcinogen-initiated bipolar liver stem cells. Although hamsters treated with C. sinensis alone do not develop bile duct cancers, in humans, clonorchiasis-induced bile duct hyperplasia may undergo malignant transformation through a stage of dysplasia. Lee et al. (1995) concluded that increased cell proliferation is required for the development of cancer from initiated cells by the production of genetic errors and altered growth control of malignant cell lines. Hou (1956) reported an autopsy study of 28 patients with concomitant clonorchiasis and cholangiocarcinoma. Finding that carcinoma occurred in the presence of adenomatous changes in the wall of the bile duct, he observed all transitional stages in the transformation of the bile duct from hyperplasia to cholangiocarcinoma. Kim (1984) found that the epithelium lining the bile duct may undergo carcinomatous transformation through a stage of dysplasia when exposed to irritation from adult worms of C. sinensis or to biochemically altered bile. Choi et al. (2004) summarized the pathophysiology of human infection with C. sinensis. Findings include inflammatory response around the biliary tree, severe epithelial cell hyperplasia, mucin-producing goblet cell metaplasia of the bile duct epithelium and progressive periductal fibrosis. Besides biliary hyperplasia, the lining of the bile ducts can become edematous and desquamation is often seen in proximity to the flukes. Infiltrates of mononuclear

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cells are seen in the periductal tissues. Metaplasia of the biliary epithelial cells into mucin-producing goblet cells leads to small glandlike areas in the mucosa. Elevated mucin content characterizes the bile during C. sinensis infection, and combines with the worms and eggs to cause cholestasis, intrahepatic stone formation and secondary bacterial infection. The chronic infection triggers an increase in the amount of fibrous tissue, which may encase some of the proliferating glands to create cholangiofibrosis. Lee et al. (1978) described the histopathological response of albino rats to C. sinensis infection over a period of 12 weeks. The first phase consisted of desquamation and edema of the bile duct epithelium. This was followed by epithelial hyperplasia, pseudostratification of the ductal epithelium and mucin-producing goblet cell metaplasia. Glandular proliferation now appeared, suggestive of adenomatous hyperplasia. Early eosinophilic infiltration seen in the first 2 weeks postinfection, gave way to plasma cell, lymphocytic and mononuclear cell infiltration at week 12. The final phase was periductal fibrosis. Shim et al. (2004) reported a rare subtype of cholangiocarcinoma found in a 69-yearold Korean man with C. sinensis infection. Histologically, 70% of the tumour mass had extensive intra- and extracellular mucin production, and lymphovascular invasion of tumour cells that indicated a poor prognosis. The liver adjacent to the cancer contained eggs of C. sinensis, and the bile duct lining showed epithelial hyperplasia, mucinous metaplasia and adenomatous proliferation of intramural glands. Lee et al. (1997) noted that cancers occur from interruption of cellular differentiation during tissue development, renewal or repair. In the liver, small intraportal ‘oval’ stem cells are not only believed to be the progenitors of hepatocytes and bile duct cells, but also of hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinomas. This study examined the immunohistologic phenotypes and ultrastructural appearance of small ‘oval’ cells in the livers of Syrian hamsters during cholangiocarcinogenesis induced by N-nitrosodimethylamine and promoted by C. sinensis infection. Forty female golden hamsters were divided into 2 groups: (1) 25 animals were infected with 15 metacercariae of C. sinensis orally, followed by administration of 15 ppm N-nitrosodimethylamine in the drinking water for 28 days and (2) 15 untreated control animals. Five hamsters in the experimental group and three in the control group were killed at 14, 35, 49, 70 and 105 days post-metacercarial infection. Histological, immunohistochemical and electron microscopy examination of liver tissues were then performed. Three distinct ‘oval’ cells were identified in the portal or periportal areas: (a) primitive oval cells which were small in size, possessed abundant heterochromatin and scant cytoplasm, and were negative for (alpha-fetoprotein) AFP, (cytokeratin 19) CK19, mouse anti-OV-6 monoclonal antibody (OV-6) and glutathione-S-transferase Pi (GST-p), (b) hepatocyte-like oval cells which were glycogen rich, positive for AFP

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but negative for CK19, OV-6 and GST-p and (c) ductular-like oval cells which were small in size, possessed desmosomes and basement membranes and were positive for CK19, OV-6 and GST-p, but negative for AFP. The type of liver cancer that develops appears to depend on the type of promotion chemical or infectious initiators effect on the putative liver stem cells. Lee et al. (1997) proposed that the ductular-like oval cells were precursors of dysplastic ductular cells that gave rise to cholangiocarcinoma following N-nitrosodimethylamine exposure. Primitive oval cells were bipolar progenitors to both hepatocytes and biliary cells. In this study, infection with C. sinensis stimulated the biliary lineage after initiation by the carcinogen, thereby promoting the development of cholangiocarcinoma. There appear to be species to species differences, as in the rat model the same stimuli favour bipolar liver stem cells to commit to hepatocyte-like oval cells and hepatocellular carcinomas. Choi et al. (2004) proposed the following mechanism of carcinogenesis for C. sinensis infection. Bile duct irritation induced by the worms plays a key role in promotion of cholangiocarcinoma through the stage of dysplasia. The proliferating ducts may then be susceptible to tumour initiation by carcinogens, even at levels too low to produce cancers in non-infected individuals. How the parasite causes biliary hyperplasia and metaplasia is poorly understood. Hong et al. (1993) stained rat biliary epithelium with bromodeoxyuridine to observe changes during C. sinensis infection. Epithelial proliferation was confined to hepatic regions containing worms, suggesting that cell proliferation resulted from direct stimulation from the parasites. Adults of C. sinensis do provide mechanical stimulation with their suckers and tegument contacting the duct lining during movement. The ductal epithelium may also receive unknown immunologic or chemical stimuli in addition to mechanical promotion. Only a small percentage of individuals infected with C. sinensis actually develop cholangiocarcinoma, so it is likely that other factors are required for carcinogenesis to proceed. The two-step theory of carcinogenesis for C. sinensis infection starts with initiation, a rapid, permanent change in host tissue caused by exposure to a carcinogen. The next stage, promotion is a slow process with a progression of reversible effects. C. sinensis acts as a promoter in the two-stage model of carcinogenesis, which requires an initiator stimulus, most likely from an exogenous carcinogen. Choi et al. (2004) also noted that biliary stone formation, a common finding in clonorchiasis, may enhance carcinogenesis. Kowalewski and Todd (1971) reported that hamsters with cholesterol pellets implanted in their gallbladders were more susceptible to induction of gallbladder carcinoma by chemical carcinogens. In humans, C. sinensis infection is linked to biliary obstruction, stones, recurrent pyogenic cholangitis and cholangiocarcinoma. Biliary calculi as a promoter of carcinogenesis remains an area yet to be fully explored. Kim et al. (2004) investigated

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the immunohistochemical expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in 102 patients with cholangiocarcinoma with respect to various clinopathological characteristics, including C. sinensis infection. Results showed that C. sinensis infection was related to aberrant cyclooxygenase-2 expression. As mentioned earlier in this review, up-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 can activate environmental carcinogens leading to oxidative and nitrosative damage to the host genome. The IARC (1994) determined that C. sinensis is probably carcinogenic to humans (group 2A). Recent work has only strengthened the evidence for C. sinensis as a promoting agent in carcinogenesis.

2.6. F. hepatica Bunnag et al. (2000) noted that infection with F. hepatica, also known as sheep liver fluke disease, is common in sheep and other domestic livestock. Human infection can occur from ingesting watercress from sheepraising areas. It is estimated that at least 2 million people are infected worldwide, mostly in temperate climates. Adult worms of F. hepatica live in the major bile ducts. The flat, leaf shaped flukes have scale-like spines on their anterior aspects, and range in size from 20 to 30 mm in length by 8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;13 mm in length. Eggs are passed in the stool, miracidia hatch in fresh water and penetrate various species of lymnaeid snails, the first intermediate host. Mature cercariae emerge from the snail host within 4â&#x20AC;&#x201C;7 weeks and encyst on various forms of aquatic vegetation to become metacercariae. Once ingested, the metacercariae excyst in the duodenum, migrate through the bowel wall into the peritoneal cavity. Next, the larval flukes penetrate the capsule of the liver and migrate through the liver parenchyma to reach the bile ducts. This prepatent period may take 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4 months. The life span of adult F. hepatica is between 9 and 13 years. Bunnag et al. (2000) also described the pathologic changes accompanying fascioliasis. In addition to hepatic parenchymal necrosis and abscess formation from migrating larvae, adult flukes cause hyperplasia, thickening, desquamation and dilatation of the bile ducts. Biliary fibrosis may be due to the proline produced by adult worms. Human infection is often characterized by infection of extrahepatic sites, most commonly heart, brain, intestinal wall, lungs and skin. The oncogenic potential of F. hepatica remains unproven at present, with a portion of the available evidence being contradictory. Experimental data supports two opposite effects, that is, tumour growth stimulating and tumour growth inhibiting. Fascioliasis is rarely complicated by neoplastic development as compared to other helminthoses. Galvez and Maglajlic (1956) first reported cases of liver cancer in F. hepatica-infected cattle. Vitovec (1974) found cases of hepatocellular carcinoma in cattle with biliary cirrhosis due to F. hepatica infection. Cornick (1988) reported

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a llama with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach and fascioliasis. Sriurairatana et al. (1996) found isolates of the human cholangiocarcinoma cell line HuCCA-1 from a tumour of the bile duct in a patient infected by F. hepatica. Tsocheva-Gaytandzhieva (2005) noted the occurrence of cholangiocarcinoma in association with biliary cirrhosis, fibrosing cholangitis and pericholangitis of fasciolar origin. The stimulation of tumour growth or hepatocyte proliferation has been observed during the acute phase of fascioliasis. The acute phase is defined as the period in which larval flukes migrate through the liver, with symptoms lasting for several weeks to months. Chronic infection is defined as the period in which the flukes reside within the biliary passages. Ginovker (1979) found that treatment of rats with F. hepatica extract or liver implant stimulated mitotic activity and proliferation of hepatocytes. Clark et al. (1981) infected mice with F. hepatica, allowed the parasite to undergo normal development in the host and then killed the animals to prepare liver homogenates. Results showed that in vitro, liver homogenates from F. hepatica-infected mice activated the promutagens aflatoxin B1 and methyl-nitrosourea-3,30 -dichlorobenzidene, producing 20 more colonies on the Ames salmonella/microsome test than did liver homogenates from uninfected control animals. Krustev et al. (1987) isolated a growth stimulating factor from the metabolic products of F. hepatica and demonstrated its proliferative effect on cell cultures. Tsocheva et al. (1992) noted that tumour growth in the rat liver following N-nitrosodimethylamine administration was stimulated if the carcinogen was given during the acute phase of F. hepatica infection. Gentile and Gentile (1994) proposed the following explanation for the observation of enhanced mutagen and carcinogen activity in the F. hepatica-acutely infected host. The fluke produces an intense inflammatory response due to the release of antigens from surface components and excretory products, with concomitant cellular proliferation in the area of infection. Inflammatory cells including macrophages and eosinophils, once activated, can produce reactive oxygen species like hydrogen peroxide that produce genetic instability by inducing DNA damage. Interactions between the inflammatory response and cell proliferation may create an increased frequency of spontaneous mutations. Proliferation of hepatocytes, a consequence of inflammation and cell death, also allows xenobiotics to interact with host DNA and to fix mutations that could play a role in carcinogenesis. Some of these mutations could lead to activation of oncogenes or the inactivation of tumour suppressor genes. Gentile et al. (1998) used the lamda/LacI Big Blue transgenic mouse model to determine whether genetic damage in liver tissue could be produced by fascioliasis. Seven mice were each infected with two metacercariae of F. hepatica by oral intubation. Six uninfected animals served as controls. All animals were killed on day 23 of the experiment. Infection

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was confirmed by visual inspection of the liver and the presence of adult worms. DNA was isolated from the livers of infected and uninfected mice, and analyzed for mutations of the lacI gene by the transgenic Big Blue mouse assay. The average mutation frequency was 2.1 10 5 in the control group and 4.3 10 5 in the infected group. The results showed F. hepatica produced mutagenic events, most likely due to liver cell damage and associated inflammatory response. Montero et al. (1999) found increased activity of CYP2A5 isozyme in mouse liver specimens harvested 5 and 10 days following treatment with metacercariae of F. hepatica. Inflammation and proliferation in liver tissue was seen at the same time that CYP2A5 activity increased. CYP2A5 belongs to the CYP450 family of hepatic enzymes important in the metabolism of carcinogens such as aflatoxin B1, nitrosamines and butadiene. F. hepatica infection causes liver injury, inflammatory response and, during the acute phase of infection, an increase in metabolizing enzymes in the liver rendering the host more susceptible to the activation of exogenous carcinogens. Inhibition of tumour growth has been observed during the chronic phase of fascioliasis. Retarding chemical carcinogenesis can be accomplished either by inhibiting the metabolism of the carcinogen or by activating the detoxification process. Hadjiolov (1984) found that N-nitrosodimethylamine-initiated malignant transformation can be prevented by inhibiting the metabolism of the carcinogen. Facino et al. (1989) later showed that fascioliasis retards drug metabolism in the rat liver. Gentile and Gentile (1994) noted that the ability of chronic F. hepatica infection to reduce drug metabolizing activity may be due to several mechanisms, including impairment of the mixed oxidase system, uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria and respiratory inhibition. Tsocheva et al. (1992) studied the combined effect of F. hepatica infection and N-nitrosodimethylamine carcinogenesis on the rat monooxygenase system. Forty-eight male albino rats were divided into 5 groups: (1) 24 healthy untreated control animals, (2) 5 animals infected with F. hepatica twice, on the 1st day and the 10th week of the experiment, (3) 6 animals treated with N-nitrosodimethylamine 8 times at 7-day intervals beginning at the sixth week of the experiment, (4) 6 animals infected with F. hepatica on the first day of the experiment, then treated with the carcinogen as per group 3 protocol and (5) 6 animals infected as per group 2 protocol, then exposed to the carcinogen as per group 3 protocol. Infection and reinfection with F. hepatica was performed by introducing 15 metacercariae by mouth. N-nitrosodimethylamine was injected intraperitoneally at a dose of 100 mg/kg. The study end point was 27 weeks, after which animals were killed and liver microsomal fractions were obtained by centrifugation. Liver parameters studied included ethylmorphine-N-dimethylase (EMD), nitrosamine-N-dimethylase (NA), anilinehydroxylase (AH), microsomal haem, cytochrome b5, cytochrome p450.

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Results were calculated as percentages of control values. Group 2 showed that double infection with F. hepatica inhibited EMD (46%), NA (60%), AH (27%), microsomal haem (35%), cytochrome p450 (27%) at p < 0.05. Cytochrome b5 was decreased 14% (p > 0.10). Group 3 showed that with N-nitrosodimethylamine treatment alone, a weak inhibition of EMD (6%), NA (6%), AH (11%), cytochrome b5 (14%) and microsomal haem (16%). Cytochrome p450 showed the greatest reduction (18%) at p < 0.05. Group 4 showed that treatment with fascioliasis and the carcinogen had a combined effect reducing activities of EMD (31%), NA (50%), cytochrome b5 (22%), microsomal haem (22%) and cytochrome p450 (24%) at p < 0.05. AH activity was near control values. Group 5, combining double infection with carcinogen exposure, had a similar but more pronounced inhibition than did group 4, with decreases in EMD (30%), NA (50%), cytochrome b5 (32%), microsomal haem (37%) and cytochrome p450 (54%). AH remained near control values. Tsocheva et al. (1992) believed the changes in the host liver monooxygenase system were largely due to F. hepatica infection, with N-nitrosodimethylamine having a modulating effect. The inhibition of liver drug metabolism may be due to direct effect of excretory/secretory products of F. hepatica on hepatocytes and cell organelles (specifically the endoplasmic reticulum where drug metabolizing enzymes are located), or to the release of substances from infection-activated Kupffer cells damaging the mixed-function oxidase system. The suppression of N-nitrosodimethylamine-induced carcinogenesis during the chronic phase of F. hepatica infection in the rat model appears to be the result of parasitic inhibition of biotransformation of the carcinogen in the liver. Finally, cell immunity-dependent zones were found in the spleens of animals chronically infected with fascioliasis. Cell immunity has a known antitumour effect. In acutely infected animals, no such zones were found. Thamavit et al. (1994a) noted that proliferation of the linings of the bile ducts has been attributed to fluke-induced mechanical obstruction, chemical effects or immunological injury. In experimental animals, bile duct dilatation and proliferation can also be induced by intraperitoneal implant of F. hepatica, where the worms are not in direct contact with the biliary tree. Proline administered intraperitoneally has been shown to cause bile duct hyperplasia in rats and mice. Proline is an excretory product of F. hepatica and is produced in large quantities by the parasite. Thamavit et al. (1994b) attempted to show whether proline is a promoter in driving initiated bile duct cells to cancer. A total of 140 Syrian hamsters were divided into 8 groups: (1) N-nitrosodimethylamine (DMN) þ proline intraperitoneally (ip), (2) DMN þ proline subcutaneously (sc), (3) DMN þ saline ip, (4) DMN þ saline sc, (5) proline ip, (6) proline sc, (7) saline ip and (8) saline sc. DMN was administered at 20 mg/kg ip. Either 1ml of 2M l-proline or 1ml of saline was administered by ip or sc injection 3 weekly for 20 weeks following DMN treatment. At week 40

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of the experiment animals were killed and their livers examined. The incidences of hepatocellular nodules were similar for all groups (1– 4) treated with DMN with or without ip or sc proline administration. The occurrence of cystic bile ductules was lower in the DMN þ ip proline group (1) than in the DMN þ ip saline group (3) p < 0.05, but severity of lesions was mild in all cases. Animals treated with proline alone failed to develop any bile duct changes. Proline administration at a dosage known to cause biliary hyperplasia in rats appears to have no such effect in the Syrian hamster. Also absent was a promoting effect on DMN-initiated liver carcinogenesis. Gentile and DeRuiter (1981) identified F. hepatica as an ideal laboratory model since it is easily cultured in mice and infection progresses from metacercarial exposure to adult worms within 5 weeks. Future research is necessary in order to clarify the complex host–parasite interactions and to better define the oncogenic implications of F. hepatica infection.

3. CESTOIDEA AND NEMATODA This section provides information on helminths not discussed in the body of the text. We have listed in Table 4.1, 12 references (8 on cestodes, 4 on nematodes) for which roles in carcinogenesis have been suggested.

4. MECHANISMS OF CARCINOGENESIS Carcinogenesis is a complex process in which both xenobiotics and endogenous factors interact to modify normal cell growth. Shacter and Weitzman (2002) noted that the establishment of a mutation is the sine qua non of cancer development. The developmental stages of tumourigenesis have been referred to as initiation, promotion and progression. Initiation involves a primary DNA mutation, often the result of genotoxic carcinogens. Promotion involves the stimulated expansion of a clone of initiated preneoplastic cells by both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Progression occurs when an early neoplastic clone of cells is transformed into a fully malignant phenotype resulting in uncontrolled cell growth. Permanent changes in DNA are present in all cancer cells, and the transformed phenotype is passed on through multiple cell divisions. For a normal cell, mutation of a key gene results in loss of homeostasis and untimely cell death. Proneoplastic mutations, resulting in increased expression of oncogenes or decreased expression of tumour suppressor genes, confer a selective survival or growth advantage to the cell. Such phenotypic changes include a decreased need for metabolites and growth factors, aberrant signal transduction, abnormal expression of receptors for available growth factors (epidermal growth factor receptor and

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TABLE 4.1 The role of selected cestodes and nematodes in carcinogenesis Parasite

Cestoidea Taenia solium

T. solium

Association with carcinogenesis

Immunodepressive effect of a T. solium cysticercus factor on cultured T and B lymphocytes stimulated with phytohaemagglutinin Immune response impairment, genotoxicity and transformation of cell morphology induced by T. solium metacestode Neurocysticercosis as a risk factor for the development of haematological malignancies Increased DNA damage in lymphocytes in neurocysticercosis patients Increased translocation frequency of chromosomes 7, 11 and 14 in lymphocytes from patients with neurocysticercosis Soluble factor secreted by T. solium metacestodes induces DNA damage in human lymphocytes Extracts of T. solium metacestodes produce genotoxicity in Drosophila melanogaster

References

Molinari et al. (1989)

Herrera et al. (1994)

Herrera et al. (1999)

Herrera et al. (2000) Herrera et al. (2001)

Herrera et al. (2003) Silva et al. (2006)

(continued)

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TABLE 4.1

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(continued)

Parasite

T. taeniaeformis

Nematoda Trichostrongylus vitrinus; Trichostrongylus colubriformis; Cooperia curticei; Nematodirus battus; Teladorsagia circumcincta; Haemonchus contortus Spirocerca lupi

S. lupi

Gongylonema pulchrum

Association with carcinogenesis

References

Infection of rats with metacestodes increases hepatic CYP 450 and increases genotoxicity of procarcinogens

Montero et al. (2003)

Excretory/secretory products of six nematode species affect the proliferation of HT29-D4 and HGT-1 cell lines

Huby et al. (1995)

The role of S. lupi in oesophageal sarcomas and osteosarcomas in dogs may be due to production of nitrous oxide and other reactive oxygen intermediates Case report of a S. lupi-induced fibroma of the oesophagus in a dog Case report of G. pulchrum infection and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a lemur

Melendez and SuarezPellin (2001)

Banga et al. (2005)

Blier et al. (2005)

Her2/neu), dysregulated cellâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;cell communication and resistance to apoptosis. Cells are normally able to turn on and off genes to help them survive toxic signals, such as induction of p450 enzymes to metabolize carcinogens. Kirby et al. (1994) found elevated levels of hepatic p450 isozymes in O. viverrini infection. Although this adaptation is usually transient, under conditions of prolonged stress, as found in chronic inflammation, a mutation may lock in the growth-advantaged phenotype selecting proneoplastic cells lines. Herrera and Ostrosky-Wegman (2001) noted that chronic inflammation in host tissues is a common feature of helminth infections. The longer

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the inflammation persists, the higher the risk of associated carcinogenesis. Inflammatory cells such as macrophages and eosinophils generate prostaglandins, cytokines and free radicals in the form of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which can lead to genetic instability and malignant transformation. Herrera et al. (2005) summarized the events during the inflammatory response to parasitic infection that can lead to carcinogenesis. Although free radicals protect the host by killing invading pathogens, they also can induce cycles of cell destruction and proliferation, preferentially selecting clones of mutated cells. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species can oxidise and damage DNA. Activated inflammatory cells use plasma membrane-associated nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase to reduce oxygen to the free radical superoxide anion which through the Haberâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Weiss reaction generates the much more reactive hydroxyl radical. The superoxide radical can also form hydrogen peroxide which reacts with transition metals bound to DNA to form activated complexes with site-specific damage. Oxidative damage causes single and double strand DNA breaks, point and frame shift mutations and chromosome abnormalities. Activated phagocytosis produces nitric oxide that, when oxidized to nitrogen dioxide, induces DNA damage. Nitric oxide can also interact with the superoxide ion forming peroxynitrite. The cytotoxic peroxynitrite may decompose into the hydroxyl radical and nitrogen dioxide. It may also oxidise sulfhydral groups inducing lipid peroxidation. Products from lipid peroxidation such as malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal, interact with DNA in a mutagenic and genotoxic manner. El-Sheikh et al. (2001) found that inflammatory cytokines and growth factors up-regulated cyclooxygenase-2 that initiated activation of environmental carcinogens and stimulation of reparative and adaptive changes leading to DNA damage and carcinogenesis. T-lymphocytes and their cytokine products such as tumour necrosis factor-a are important in the malignant transformation of chronically inflamed tissue. Herrera et al. (2005) also noted that inflammatory cells participate in activating environmental carcinogens like aflatoxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and can form carcinogenic nitrosamines from nitric oxide. Inflammation also induces altered host xenobiotic metabolism that increases susceptibility to toxic agents. Watanapa and Watanapa (2002) postulated that the combination of inflammatory genotoxic products acting on proliferating cells results in malignant change. Once DNA mutations have occurred, active cell turnover favours formation of clones of transformed cells. Modulation of the host immune system with impairment of immunologic surveillance has been proposed as another mechanism for helminthinduced carcinogenesis. The theory of immunologic surveillance holds that the immune system destroys neoplastic cells as they appear, limiting the development of cancer. Schatten et al. (1984) discovered

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tumour-specific antigens, and found that carcinogenesis was inhibited in mice immunized against those antigens. Herrera et al. (2005) observed that the high incidence of cancer in immunosuppressed transplant patients and in patients with congenital or acquired immune deficiency suggests a role for the immune system in controlling malignant cell transformation. Helminths have evolved mechanisms to avoid immune detection by the host. Toledo et al. (2006) noted that antibodies bound to the surface of the intestinal trematode Echinostoma caproni are rapidly lost in vivo. Additionally, newly excysted juvenile and adults of E. caproni shed surface antigens rapidly over 8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;15 min. These adaptations make the fluke inaccessible to immune attack. The antigenic makeup of E. caproni also changes over time, enabling the parasite to avoid immune recognition. White et al. (1997) suggested mechanisms parasites employ to avoid immune detection: production of antigenic variants, inhibition of host histocompatibility antigens, disruption of antigen-processing pathways and inactivation of complement and antibodies. Pettit et al. (2000) stated that the result of these parasitic adaptations is immunopathological changes affecting host immune surveillance that contribute to clonal expansion of transformed cells. Further evidence of parasite ability to modulate host immune response was provided by Reddy and Fried (2007) who noted that long-lived helminths are able to down-regulate host immunity, possibly through induction of the T-helper 2 response. Exposure of patients with inflammatory bowel (Crohnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) disease to Trichuris suis (pig whipworm) therapy has reduced disease activity in clinical studies. Malignancy associated with helminth-induced chronic inflammation usually occurs at or near the site of inflammation. Examples are bladder cancer with S. haemotobium infection and bile duct cancer with O. viverrini infection. Evidence that systemic cancers might also develop from chronic parasite infection would implicate mechanisms not related to the local inflammatory process. Herrera et al. (2000) studied the relationship between human larval T. solium infection and the occurrence of haematologic malignancies. Results indicated a higher frequency of genetic damage in bone marrow cells and peripheral lymphocytes of neurocysticercosis patients as compared to uninfected or treated controls. If these mutations are not repaired, the persistent antigenic stimulus from the parasitic infection could stimulate proliferation of clones of damaged cells promoting haematologic malignancy. Trosko and Ruch (1998) noted that during evolution from single to multi-cellular organisms, new biological functions appeared: contact inhibition to control cell proliferation, the process of differentiation of committed stem cells of various tissues and the need for programmed apoptosis. Many new genes appeared to control these various functions, including a gene coding for a membrane-associated protein channel, also

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termed the gap junction. This gap junction allows passive transfer of ions and low molecular weight proteins. A group of connexin genes codes for connexin proteins. A hexameric unit of connexins (a connexon) in one cell couples with a corresponding connexon in an adjoining cell effectively joining cytoplasms. This process synchronizes metabolic functions within tissues. The majority of normal solid tissue cells have working gap junctions for intracellular communication. Distinct characteristics of cancer cells have been identified: origin from a stem-like cell, loss of contact inhibition, uncontrolled cell growth, inability to terminally differentiate and alteration of programmed cell death. A cancer cell is also characterized by dysfunctional gap junctions and abnormal cellâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;cell communication, that is, a process controlling the ability of a cell to proliferate, differentiate, respond adaptively and apoptose. Disruption of intracellular communication can lead to cell proliferation, aberrant differentiation, decreased apoptosis and malignant transformation. Herrera et al. (2005) suggested that events leading to the inhibition of cellâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;cell communication and to the disruption of proliferationâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; antiproliferation pathways in parsite-infected tissues could play a pivotal role in the clonal expansion of initiated cells producing tumours. Parasites not only present physical barriers to intracellular communication, but also can interrupt communications chemically through secreted substances. McKerrow (1989) noted that helminths secrete soluble factors whose interactions with host cells aid the parasite to survive for long periods of time in a disadvantageous hostile environment. Some of these secreted molecules may modify host cell homeostasis, increasing the chance of malignancy. Herrera et al. (1994) reported an RNA molecule secreted by cysticerci of T. solium that transformed Syrian hamster embryo cells in vitro and induced chromosome damage in human lymphocyte cultures. The secreted RNA factor appeared capable of inducing genetic instability in infected individuals, possible by a direct interaction with host genomic DNA. Parasite-secreted factors may also favour tumour promotion and progression. Ishii et al. (1989) found that S. japonicum soluble egg antigen had a significant tumour-promoting effect. Konno et al. (1999) noted that excretory/secretory proteins of Taenia taeniaeformis induced hyperplasia in the stomachs of heavily infected rats. Phares (1996) reported accelerated host body growth in the presence of infection with the plerocercoid stage of Spirometra mansonoides. This effect was caused by a parasitesecreted protein that interacted with mammalian growth hormone receptors. The induction of genomic instability is the sentinel event in helminthinduced carcinogenesis, allowing initiated cells to transform into fully malignant ones. Chromosome alterations can be most easily detected by the micronucleus method. Rosin et al. (1994a) found that urothelial cells from the urinary bladder of patients with S. haematobium infection had a

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6.1-fold higher frequency of micronucleated cells than did uninfected controls. The incidence of micronucleated cells decreased following anti-parasitic treatment. Mostafa et al. (1999) noted that although researchers have identified some of the molecular events causing parasiteinduced malignant transformation (inactivation of p53, deletion of p16INK4 and overexpression of Bcl-2 for S. haematobium), the majority of such observations have been made in advanced tumour stages. This limits our understanding of the sequence involved in the multi-stage process of human carcinogenesis. Studies demonstrating the presence of viral particles in parasites have suggested the possibility of genetic exchange with host tisues and the promotion of carcinogenesis. Laclette (1990) found crystals of virus-like particles in metacestodes of T. solium. Khramtsov (2000) discovered the presence of double stranded RNA in Cryptosporidium parvum isolates. Parasites may also induce proliferation of viralinfected cells, shortening the period for cancer to develop. Gabet (2000) noted that asymptomatic human T-cell leukaemia carriers developed clinical T-cell leukaemia sooner if they had concomitant infection with Strongyloides stercoralis. Trosko and Ruch (1998) recalled a major controversy in theoretical carcinogenesis: whether all cells or only a few special cells can give rise to cancer. The dedifferentiation theory states that for cancer to develop a ‘mortal’ cell must be ‘immortalized’ by a differentiated cell reverting back to an early progenitor or pluripotent cell type. The stem cell theory holds that a pleuripotent stem cell, already ‘immortalized’, gives rise to cancer, remaining ‘immortalized’ in the process. Totipotent stem cells can give rise to all cell types within an organism. Pleuripotent stem cells are derived from the totipotent ones, and are committed to a finite number of cell divisions and a specific lineage of cell types. The daughter cells of the pleuripotent stem cells are called progenitor cells and can produce one cell type resulting in terminally differentiated cells. The stem cell theory is supported by three lines of evidence. First, a stem cell divides asymetrically into a daughter cell committed to terminally differentiate and a daughter cell destined to remain immortal or stem cell-like. This is consistent with the first step in carcinogenesis, namely to prevent the mortalization of an immortal stem cell. Second, Nakano et al. (1985) found that only few cells from a population of Syrian baby hamster cells were susceptible to neoplastic transformation. Third, Kao et al. (1995) noted that presumptive pleuripotent stem cells isolated from human breast tissue had no connexin genes or functional gap junction intracellular communication, a phenotype similar to that of cancer cells. Block (1984) stated that the fact that some cancer cells can be induced to terminally differentiate demonstrates that they behave like pleuripotent stem cells. The work of Lee et al. (1995) showed that bile duct proliferation stimulated by C. sinensis promoted carcinogen-initiated bipolar liver stem cells to

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differentiate along biliary rather than hepatocyte lineage, favouring the development of cholangiocarcinoma. Our understanding of the role of the stem cell hypothesis in helminth-induced malignant transformation remains incomplete at present, and is an area for future research.

5. CONCLUDING REMARKS The purpose of this review is to explore the role of helminth infections in carcinogenesis. The idea is not new, as in the mid-nineteenth century Rudolph Virchow observed a higher frequency of cancer of the human urinary bladder in areas of North Africa endemic for S. haematobium (Parsonnet, 1999). Difficulty arises in proving causality between parasitic infection and cancer due to the complex natural histories and long latent periods of both conditions during which numerous exogenous and endogenous factors interact. Although numerous helminths have been implicated, only two, S. haematobium and O. viverrini, have been shown to be definitely carcinogenic to humans. Approximately 16% of all cancer cases worldwide are attributable to infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, schistosomes and liver flukes. This equates to 1,375,000 preventable cancers per year. The known mechanisms of parasite-induced cancer include chronic inflammation, modulation of the host immune system, impairment of immunologic surveillance, inhibition of cellâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;cell communication, disruption of proliferationâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;antiproliferation pathways, induction of genomic instability and stimulation of malignant stem cell progeny. Public health measures for the prevention of helminth-induced cancer begin with education and improvement of socioeconomic status to reduce prevalence of infection. Control of population morbidity is achievable through mass chemotherapy for those at risk. For example, a single dose of praziquantel can cure 75% of people infected with S. haematobium, and can reduce egg release by 90â&#x20AC;&#x201C;95%. El-Desoky et al. (2005) identified a slow acetylator phenotype at risk for S. haemotobium-induced bladder cancer. Future research to identify other biomarkers for population screening of at-risk individuals is needed. Control of transmission begins with treatment of endemic areas to eradicate intermediate hosts. The molluscicide niclosamide is effective, as is biologic control using natural predators, fungi, bacteria and viruses to reduce the snail population. Environmental modifications detrimental to the intermediate host are most effective when combined with improved hygiene and reduction of contact with contaminated water. Due to the enormity of helminthic infection worldwide, the development of effective anti-parasitic vaccines is of paramount importance to supplement the above measures. Dupre et al. (1999)

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reported promising results from a schistosomal GST DNA vaccine supplementing praziquantel therapy. Earlier diagnosis of helminth-induced malignancy allows more effective therapy with a greater chance for cure. Prempracha et al. (1994) identified a soluble 200-kDa glycoprotein antigen which was markedly elevated in the serum and bile of animals with O. viverrini-associated cholangiocarcinoma. Future work is needed to discover other clinically useful tumour markers for parasite-realated cancer. There has also been recent interest in modulating the parasitic inflammatory response as a means of cancer prevention. Feig et al. (1994) noted the role of reactive oxygen species in mutagenesis. Dietary antioxidants may play a role in slowing tumourigenesis sufficiently to prevent clinical cancer during a patient’s lifespan. Shacter and Weitzman (2002) suggested that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors may reduce carcinogenesis by inhibiting prostaglandins, cytokines and angiogenic factors. It is our hope that this review increases awareness of helminth infections as a preventable cause of human cancer. In 1926 Johanes Fibiger won the only Nobel Prize awarded for helminthology. Although doubt was initially cast on his conclusions, his belief in parasite-induced cancer now appears to have been validated.

REFERENCES Abdel, M. M., Hassan, A., and El-Sewedy, S. (2000). Human bladder cancer, schistosomiasis, N-nitroso compounds and their precursors. Int. J. Cancer 88, 682–683. Abdel-Tawab, G. A., Aboul-Azm, T., and Ebid, S. A. (1986). The correlation between certain tryptophan metabolites and the N-nitrosamine content in the urine of bilharzial bladder cancer patients. J. Urol. 135, 826–830. Abe, K., Kagei, N., Teramura, Y., and Ejima, H. (1993). Evidence for the segregation of a major gene in human susceptibility/resistance to infection by Schistosoma mansoni. J. Med. Primatol. 22, 237–239. Aji, T., Matsuoka, H., Ishii, A., Arimoto, S., and Hayatsu, H. (1994). Retention of a mutagen 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4, 3-b]indole (Trp-P-2) in the liver of mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum. Mutat. Res. 305, 265–272. Amano, T. (1980). Clinicopathological studies on the gastrointestinal schistosomiasis in the endemic area of Yamanashi Prefecture with special reference to the carcinogenicity of schistosome infection. Jpn. J. Parasitol. 29, 305–312. Amano, T., and Oshima, T. (1988). Hepatoma formation in ddY mice with chronic schistosomiasis japonica. Jpn. J. Cancer Res. 79, 173–180. Andrade, Z. A., and Abreu, W. N. (1971). Follicular lymphoma of the spleen in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 20, 237–243. Arimoto, S., Matsuoka, H., Aji, T., Ishii, A., Wataya, Y., and Hayatsu, H. (1992). Modified metabolism of a carcinogen 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4, 3-b]indole (Trp-P-2), by liver S9 from Schistosoma japonica infected mice. Mutat. Res. 282, 177–182. Badawi, A. F. (1996). Molecular and genetic events in schistosomiasis-associated human bladder cancer: Role of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Cancer Lett. 105, 123–138.

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5 A Review of the Biology of the Parasitic Copepod Lernaeocera branchialis (L., 1767) (Copepoda: Pennellidae) Adam J. Brooker, Andrew P. Shinn, and James E. Bron

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1. 2. 3. 4.

Introduction Taxonomy Adult Morphology of the Female Life Cycle 4.1. Nauplius Iâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;II 4.2. Copepodid 4.3. Chalimus Iâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;IV 4.4. Adult 5. Reproduction 5.1. Mating strategies 5.2. Copulation 5.3. Male competition 5.4. Fecundity 5.5. Female fitness 5.6. Egg strings and egg-string attachment 5.7. The male reproductive system and spermatozoon ultrastructure 6. Physiology 6.1. Feeding and maintenance of the internal environment 6.2. Respiration 7. Distribution 7.1. Geographic distribution

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7.2. Prevalence and intensity of host infection 7.3. Seasonality 8. Pathogenicity 9. Concluding Remarks References

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This review concerns the parasitic marine copepod Lernaeocera branchialis (L., 1767) and provides an overview of current knowledge concerning its biology and hostâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;parasite interactions. The large size and distinctive appearance of the metamorphosed adult female stage, coupled with the wide exploitation and commercial importance of its final gadoid hosts, means that this species has long been recognised in the scientific literature. The fact that the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., is one of its key host species, and has itself had a major impact on the social and economic development of many countries bordering the North Atlantic for more than 10 centuries is also a factor in its widespread recognition. L. branchialis is recognised as a pathogen that could have major effects on the aquaculture industry and with gadoid (especially cod) farming expanding in several North Atlantic countries, there is considerable potential for this parasite to become a serious problem for commercial mariculture. The main subject areas covered are the parasiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taxonomy; the life history of the parasite including its life cycle, reproduction and host associations; parasite physiology; parasite seasonality and distribution; and the pathogenic effects of the parasite on its host.

1. INTRODUCTION This review concerns the marine parasitic copepod Lernaeocera branchialis (L., 1767) and provides an overview of current knowledge concerning its biology and hostâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;parasite interactions. The large size and distinctive appearance of the metamorphosed adult female stage, coupled with the wide exploitation and commercial importance of its final gadoid hosts, means that this species has long been recognised in the scientific literature. The fact that the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., is one of its key host species, and has itself had a major impact on the social and economic development of many countries bordering the North Atlantic for more than 10 centuries (Kurlansky, 1998) is also a factor in its widespread recognition. L. branchialis is recognised as a pathogen that could have major effects on the aquaculture industry (Anon, 2005; Khan et al., 1990) and with gadoid (especially cod) farming expanding in several North Atlantic countries, there is considerable potential for this parasite to become a serious problem for commercial mariculture.

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The literature regarding L. branchialis is extensive, as it spans over a century; however, many papers are outdated or have been superseded by more recent work. Therefore, the canon of work concerning this potentially important and damaging pathogen is here re-examined to provide an up to date overview, which includes both aquaculture and wild fisheries perspectives.

2. TAXONOMY L. branchialis is a pennellid copepod, whose final stage parasitises a range of gadoids. The Pennellidae are unique amongst parasitic copepods of fishes in having a two-host life cycle. Most members of the family are mesoparasitic as the thorax and abdomen become deeply embedded within the hostâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tissues, whereas the genital segment protrudes externally and bears egg sacs (Kabata, 1970). The most obvious feature of the Pennellidae compared with most other parasitic copepods (with the exception of the Sphyriidae) is their frequent large size. Once attached to the final host, females exhibit gigantism as a result of massive expansion in the length and girth of the genital complex and in some species the production of a substantial holdfast (Kabata, 1979). Most segmental boundaries are lost during this transformation (Sproston, 1942) and there is considerable morphological plasticity in the Pennellidae due to resistance encountered as the parasite grows through the host tissues. As a consequence, there are many different â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;biological formsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which have resulted in the misidentification of some species and have generated much debate amongst taxonomists. Within the genus Lernaeocera (Blainville, 1822), two valid species have been identified: L. branchialis (L., 1767) and L. lusci (Bassett Smith, 1896). Wilson (1917) described Lernaeocera from the American side of the Atlantic and Schuurmans-Stekhoven (1936a) concluded that this morphotype was distinct from L. branchialis and should be given the name L. wilsoni. However, careful examination of the differences between American and European forms led Kabata (1961) to conclude that the two forms are conspecific. The species L. minuta (Scott, 1900) was dismissed as a separate species by Van Damme and Ollevier (1995), who concluded that it is a miniature form of L. lusci and that size should not be used as a morphological characteristic due to its high dependence on host size, although this requires confirmation. L. obtusa (Kabata, 1957) was identified as a separate species parasitising older haddock [Melanogrammus aeglefinus (L.)] (Kabata, 1958), but was later found to be a larger form of L. branchialis (Kabata, 1979). Other Lernaeocera species proposed by various authors have been found to be invalid; these proposals were based on unusually

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shaped trunks or abnormally developed holdfasts (Kabata, 1961, 1979; Tirard et al., 1993; Van Damme and Ollevier, 1995).

3. ADULT MORPHOLOGY OF THE FEMALE The final and most characteristic stage of L. branchialis is the metamorphosed adult female. The cephalothorax comprises a holdfast composed of one dorsal and two lateral branches/antlers (Fig. 5.1i). The neck is thin and short (Kabata, 1979) and four pairs of vestigial swimming legs are located on the neck. The expanded genital complex has three points of flexure: between the anterior cylindrical region (or neck) and trunk, around the middle of the trunk and between the trunk and abdomen. L. branchialis f. obtusa has a longer and thicker neck than the previous form and has two points of flexure in its genital complex: in the middle of the trunk and between the trunk and abdomen. L. branchialis can be discriminated from L. lusci by the absence of antennary processes (Van Damme and Ollevier, 1995). As the adult female parasite grows, it develops a dark red colouration. The attachment site of the parasite on the final host is most commonly at the base of the third gill arch (Van den Broek, 1978, 1979b), where the cephalothorax penetrates the afferent branchial artery.

h a n

au an m

a fp t

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

fp ab

(v)

(i)

s pp

FIGURE 5.1 (i) The main anatomical features of an adult female Lernaeocera branchialis (scale bar: 5 mm), (ii) nauplius I—dorsal aspect (scale bar: 0.1 mm), (iii) nauplius II—dorsal aspect (scale bar: 0.1 mm), (iv) nauplius I—posterior extremity (scale bar: 10 mm) and (v) nauplius II (scale bar: 10 mm). Abbreviations: h, head; a, antlers; n, neck; fp, flexion points; t, trunk; ab, abdomen; es, egg strings; au, antennule; an, antenna; m, mandible; b, balancers; s, blunt spines; pp, posterior process.

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From here it grows along the artery and the ventral aorta until it reaches the bulbus arteriosus and the holdfast develops (Smith et al., 2007). Once embedded in the cardiac region, it begins feeding on host blood. The morphology and size of adult females varies as a result of the interaction of several environmental and host-dependent factors. Most specimens are around 2 cm in length but occasionally they have been found to measure up to 5 cm (Kabata, 1979). Adult females living on cod and whiting have only a short distance to cover between the base of the gill arch and the bulbus arteriosus where feeding occurs, hence have a relatively short cylindrical neck. In contrast, the form L. branchialis f. obtusa, which parasitises on older haddock, tends to develop a longer, thicker neck, with a less acute angle where the neck merges into the trunk (Kabata, 1958). However, this form rarely penetrates as far as the cardiac region, but derives nourishment from one of the blood vessels, which does not appear to affect the parasite’s survival rate. This form can also be distinguished by the angle of its genital flexure which is less acute than in L. branchialis f. branchialis.

4. LIFE CYCLE L. branchialis was first described by Claus (1868a) as having a complex two-host life cycle. The life cycle comprises two free-swimming nauplius stages, one infective copepodid stage, four chalimus stages and the adult copepod, each separated by a moult stage (Fig. 5.2). Further descriptions were given by Scott (1901), Wilson (1917) and Sproston (1942). The following accounts rely principally upon the latter descriptions.

4.1. Nauplius I–II The nauplius I has an average length of around 0.37 mm, although there is quite a wide range of sizes (0.35–0.41 mm) (Sproston, 1942) (Fig. 5.1ii). Whitfield et al. (1988) recorded a mean length of 0.41 mm (range 0.39– 0.44 mm) and width of 0.33 mm (range 0.33–0.36 mm). Dark red chromatophores occur laterally around the middle two-third of the body and a darker, almost black, pigmentation surrounds the eye. Three pairs of appendages are apparent in nauplius I, with a pair of balancers at the posterior extremity. The antennules arise from the sides of a flattened frontal region and there is a short anterior spine and two long setae at the tip. Between the antennules is a small median papilla under the cuticle (Sproston, 1942). The antennae arise ventrally from shallow depressions on the anterior lateral margins. A short spine on the distal end of the basal segment gives rise to a four-jointed exopodite and a three-jointed endopodite. Each segment of the exopodite bears a long seta, four in total and

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Gravid female

Free swimming nauplius I

10 min

Infection

Free swimming nauplius II

Definitive host Mature male

Mature female

24 hr

Intermediate host 6 days

Infection

4 days

2 days 8 days

Chalimus IV Chalimus III

Infective copepodid

5 days

Chalimus I Chalimus II

FIGURE 5.2 The life cycle of Lernaeocera branchialis (stage timings for 10 C from Whitfield et al., 1988).

the terminal segment of the endopodite bears two long setae. The mandibles are very similar to the antennae at this stage, although the basal segments are longer and more slender. The second nauplius stage (Fig. 5.1iii) was not found by Sproston (1942) and a detailed description is lacking. From the author’s personal observations, nauplius II appears to be similar to nauplius I except for a pair of conical processes at the posterior extremity, which appear to be developing caudal rami, and a pair of blunt, rounded spines at either side at its base (Fig. 5.1iv and v). Whitfield et al. (1988) describes the nauplius II as a meta-nauplius, indicating that it has more than three pairs of functional appendages, which would be the case if the paired processes at the posterior extremity are indeed caudal rami. Mean length of nauplius II was 0.54 mm (range 0.51–0.55 mm) and width 0.33 mm (range 0.24–0.27 mm) and whilst the body shapes of nauplius I and II have been described as ‘ovoid’ and ‘bullet-shaped’, respectively (Whitfield et al., 1988), personal observations have shown that the body shapes of nauplius I and II are very similar and that differences may be due to individual variation (Fig. 5.1ii and iii).

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The nauplius I moults to nauplius II about 10 min after hatching at 10 C. This may account for nauplius II not being found by Sproston (1942); nauplius II being mis-identified as nauplius I. Nauplius I are positively phototaxic, but once moulted to nauplius II, they sink to the sea bed and exhibit negative phototaxis (Whitfield et al., 1988).

4.2. Copepodid The copepodid shows a large variation in size between individuals. Sproston (1942) found specimens varying from 0.39 to 0.63 mm with a mean of 0.48 mm (Fig. 5.3i). The cephalothorax is about five-eighth of the body length and in all the post-nauplius developmental forms show a strong ventral infolding along the lateral margins, particularly in the anterior half. The antennules consist of five segments, each equipped with setae and the distal segment bears one long, thick aesthetasc. The chelate antennae arise slightly ventral to the anterior margin of the cephalothorax and have a considerable degree of freedomâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;more than 180 C (Sproston, 1942). Once the chelae grip a gill tip, they become the anchorage of the animal until the frontal filament is produced at the next moult. The copepodid has two pairs of biramous swimming legs: the first on the second thoracic somite, which is fused to the cephalothorax and the second on the third thoracic somite. Both rami of the first leg consist of two segments and both distal segments of the first and second legs bear five long setae, although only the exopodite bears a fine spine. Both rami of the second leg are one segmented. The fourth thoracic somite bears two stout spines, which represent the third pair of swimming legs; the fifth somite represents the pre-genital and genital segments; the sixth is the anal somite and bears two caudal rami, each with five long setae. The moult to copepodid stage from nauplius II occurs after 48 h at 10 C (Whitfield et al., 1988). The copepodid then seeks out a host and attaches to a gill tip using the chelate antennae (Sproston, 1942). They preferentially attach to the tips of the posterior gill filaments, but show no preference for the right or left gill chamber (Edwards, 1984). However, a preference is always shown for the posterior gill arches, rather than the anterior ones. This intermediate host is usually a pleuronectiform or other demersal fish. In the United Kingdom, this is usually the flounder, Platichthys flesus L.; but in more northern latitudes, the common sole, Microstomus kitt, Walbaum is the most common host (Kabata, 1979). Table 5.1 lists the recorded intermediate hosts. According to strict definition, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;intermediateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; host is effectively the definitive host, since L. branchialis matures and mates on this host. However, throughout this review, it will be referred to as the intermediate host and the final host will remain the definitive host in order to adhere to the terminology used by previous workers.

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FIGURE 5.3 (i) Copepodid (scale bar: 0.1 mm), (ii) chalimus I (scale bar: 0.25 mm), (iii) chalimus II (scale bar: 0.25 mm), (iv) chalimus III (scale bar: 0.25 mm), (v) chalimus IV (scale bar: 0.25 mm), (vi) adult male (scale bar: 0.5 mm), (vii) adult female (scale bar: 0.5 mm) (all dorsal aspect). Abbreviations: a, antennule; ff, frontal filament; c, cephalothorax; L1, first swimming leg; L2, second swimming leg; L3, third swimming leg; L4, fourth swimming leg; tc2, second thoracic somite; tc3, third thoracic somite; tc4, fourth thoracic somite; tc5, fifth thoracic somite; tc6, sixth thoracic somite; gs, genital segment; tas, terminal abdominal somite; ss, spermatophore sac; cr, caudal rami.

4.3. Chalimus Iâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;IV During the moult to chalimus I, a secretion from the mid-frontal region is extruded as a thread between the antennae into the surrounding gill tissue, where it diverges into two filaments (Sproston, 1942). The rest of the secretion forms a hood dorsally and laterally, which is attached to the cephalothorax, and encloses in it the recently moulted antennae and the distal segment of the previous moult which remains attached to the gill.

Biology of the Parasitic Copepod Lernaeocera branchialis

TABLE 5.1

305

Intermediate hosts of Lernaeocera branchialis (adapted from Kabata, 1979)

Host species

Family

References

Platichthys flesus (L.)

Pleuronectidae

P. flesus bogdanovi (Sandberg) Liopsetta glacialis (Pallas) Microstomus kitt (Walbaum) Limanda limanda (L.) Pleuronectes platessa L.

Pleuronectidae

Boxshall, 1974; Claus, 1868b; K ie, 1999; Pedashenko, 1898; Polyanski, 1955; Scott, 1901; Van Den Broek, 1979a Shulman and ShulmanAlbova, 1953 Shulman and ShulmanAlbova, 1953 Kabata, 1957, 1958

Solea solea (L.) Scophthalmus maximus (L.) Cyclopterus lumpus L.

Soleidae Bothidae

Agonus cataphractus (L.) Zoarces viviparous (L.) Myoxocephalus scorpius (L.) Callionymus lyra L. Zeugopterus punctatus (Bloch)

Agonidae

Fleming and Templeman, 1951; Metzger, 1868; Polyanski, 1955; Reed and Dymond, 1951; Shulman and Shulman-Albova, 1953; Sproston and Hartley, 1941a; Templeman et al., 1976 Kabata, 1958, 1979

Zoarcidae

Polyanski, 1955

Cottidae Callionymidae

Boxshall, 1974; Kabata, 1958; Polyanski, 1955 Kabata, 1958

Scophthalmidae

Kabata, 1979

Pleuronectidae Pleuronectidae Pleuronectidae Pleuronectidae

Cyclopteridae

Shulman and ShulmanAlbova, 1953 Boxshall, 1974; Gouillart, 1937; Van Oared-de Lint and Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936 Sproston and Hartley, 1941a Gouillart, 1937

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Soon after the moult is complete, the movement of the chalimus causes the hood to crack where it joins the head and occasionally it breaks off (Sproston, 1942). Each chalimus stage can be identified by counting the number of hoods, as a new one is secreted over the old ones at each moult (Claus, 1868b). This frontal filament structure is different from that of other siphonostomatoid parasites that have been studied. Unlike other siphonostomatoids that have a single filament, the filament of L. branchialis diverges into two as it enters the gill tissue. In the genus Lepeophtheirus (von Nordmann, 1832), a new filament can be produced at each moult (Bron et al., 1991; Pike et al., 1993), whereas in Caligus elongatus (von Nordman, 1832), the filament, once lost, cannot be replaced, although the filament base is extended at each moult (Piasecki, 1996). In L. branchialis, a new hood is added to the filament structure at each moult, suggesting that the mechanism may be similar to that of C. elongatus in that the filament is separate from the chalimus body and cannot be replaced once lost. In the chalimus I (Fig. 5.3ii), the long swimming setae of the biramous legs have been lost and the rami have lost their broad flattened shape, becoming more rounded in transverse section, although the rami of the second leg now have two segments. There is a change in shape of the thoracic somites and a rudiment in place of the spines representing the third leg (Sproston, 1942). The caudal rami are smaller than in the copepodid and their setae are short and poorly developed. The moult to chalimus I occurs 2 days post-infection (p.i.) at 10 C (Whitfield et al., 1988). There is very little change in the chalimus II, although segmental boundaries are less clear (Fig. 5.3iii). The antennae are swollen with segmentation shown only by folds and the leg segments are becoming more indistinct. There is an indication of the fourth thoracic somite dividing into the pre-genital and genital segments and the former shows a rudiment representing the fourth pair of legs. The labrum and labium of the mouth tube have not yet joined up and the mandibles are seen at the sides. The moult to chalimus II occurs around 7 days p.i. at 10 C (Whitfield et al., 1988). The general morphology of chalimus III stage is similar to the second although some appendages are beginning to re-differentiate (Fig. 5.3iv). The free thoracic segments are less clearly marked but there is an indication of five. A fourth pair of legs has developed, which have two joints at this stage, although there are no setae on the distal segment. The moult to chalimus III stage occurs around 15 days p.i. at 10 C (Whitfield et al., 1988). There is again little change in morphology after the moult to chalimus IV (Fig. 5.3v). However, the segmentation of all parts is better defined than in the previous stage. Although in this stage, the swimming legs are

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still not employed in swimming they are beginning to regain their characteristic form and the setae are slightly broader as are those of the antennules and caudal rami. The mouth tube is nearly closed at this stage and the maxillules can be seen at its sides. The maxillae of both sexes and maxillipeds of the male (the female lacks maxillipeds) are both swollen compared with those of the adult and bear no spines or claws. The moult to the chalimus IV stage occurs 19 days p.i. at 10 C and after 25 days p.i. at 10 C, the parasite moults to the adult stage (Whitfield et al., 1988).

4.4. Adult 4.4.1. Morphology Once the chalimus IV has moulted to the adult, there is a considerable change in shape and the body form of the copepodid has returned (Fig. 5.3vi and vii), although the setae on the swimming legs are not quite so long (Sproston, 1942). The antennules are not distinctly segmented but have a constriction separating the terminal segment, which has a rounded tip. They bear many fine setae, the terminal quarter bearing five stronger setae (Kabata, 1979) and one aesthetasc. The antennae are very similar to those of the copepodid although they are larger and more robust. They are three-jointed with the final joint bearing a short spine. The first two pairs of swimming legs are biramous and each ramus has two joints. The third and fourth pairs of legs are uniramous and carry three joints. In the male, each ramus bears five long setae and one shorter one (Sproston, 1942). In the female, the distribution of the setae is as follows: leg 1–7 þ spine (exopod), 6 þ spine (endopod); leg 2–6 þ spine (exopod), 6 (endopod); leg 3–6 þ spine; leg 4–5 (Kabata, 1979). In the female, the coxa and the basis of the swimming legs are longer and more slender, and the setae are slightly longer than in the male (Sproston, 1942). In the male, the genital segment is barrel-shaped and contains the spermatophore sacs, which open into the tube-like gonopore near the median line (Sproston, 1942). The genital segment represents two somites and bears the vestiges of the fifth and sixth legs. Immediately below the genital segment is the free abdominal somite which is approximately square and about half the length of the genital segment (Kabata, 1979). The caudal rami each bear four setae, the inner two being longer than the finer outer two. In the male, the caudal rami are much larger and the setae longer and thicker than in the female. In the female, the thoracic segments have lost the characteristic shape seen in the male and copepodid (Sproston, 1942). They are rounded in transverse section, except the pregenital segment which is slightly quadrangular. The genital segment does not have the vestiges of the fifth legs seen in the male (Sproston, 1942) and

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is enormously elongated, equal to or longer than the rest of the body, with a transversely wrinkled cuticle (Kabata, 1979; Smith and Whitfield, 1988) which indicates the region of imminent expansion (see Section 4.4.4). Once the final chalimus has moulted to the adult, the parasite is capable of swimming and active movement within the gill chamber of the host.

4.4.2. Mouth and mouthparts

The mouth of L. branchialis consists of a buccal tube situated at the end of a buccal cone, which comprises three rings (Fig. 5.4i) (Kabata, 1962). The rings are bands of thick cuticle alternated with thinner bands, an arrangement which permits them to move in relation to one another and allows the buccal tube to shorten when pressed against the host, bringing the feeding appendages into contact with the host tissues (Boxshall, 1990b). The outer ring, the broadest and thinnest of the three, is divided by a thick plaque at the mid-anterior line (Fig. 5.4i). The outer part of this bilaterally symmetrical plaque is divided into two longitudinal parts, each attached

p lr bs

m or

m li

li ir

mr mm (i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

FIGURE 5.4 SEMs of the buccal tube of Lernaeocera branchialis. (i) Ventral aspect, (ii) lateral aspect, (iii) close-up of lateral aspect, (iv) SEM of the abdomen of premetamorposed adult female L. branchialis showing transverse cuticular folds. Scale bars: 10 mm. Abbreviations: mm, marginal membrane; m, mandible; or, outer ring; p, midanterior plaque of the outer ring; mr, middle ring; ir, inner ring; bs, buccal stylets; li, labium; lr, labrum.

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to the thickened outer rim of the ring. The plaque is suggested to act as a spring imparting a degree of elasticity to the outer ring, and thereby maintaining pressure on the host tissue as it feeds (Kabata, 1962). The middle ring is thicker and narrower than the outer ring and the inner ring is the thickest and narrowest of the three. At the tip of the outer ring is a flared marginal membrane (Fig. 5.4i), which encircles the opening of the mouth cone and may prevent the escape of macerated particles of tissue (Boxshall, 1990b; Capart, 1948; Kabata, 1962). A thin chitinous band is found around the line of attachment and is thickened at intervals by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;studsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of chitin (Kabata, 1962). In males, the chitinous band is broader than in the female and the studs are about twice the size but fewer in number. While the labrum forms the anterior wall of the buccal tube, it does not reach the opening and only the labium is connected to the marginal membrane (Boxshall, 1990b) (Fig. 5.4ii). The mandible is a long, slender structure derived from the coxa (Huys and Boxshall, 1991) with a stylet-like gnathobase and its base dorsomedial to and in close proximity to the maxillae. It is broadest at the base and narrows towards the distal end, but broadens again at the tip, where its ventral margin bears eight pointed and slightly curving teeth (Fig. 5.4iii). The mandible curves into the buccal cone and the retraction of the cone allows the serrated edges of the mandible to come into contact with the host tissue, macerating it and allowing the parasite to feed (Kabata, 1962). At the mid-anterior line of the inner ring is attached the paired base of the buccal stylets. These bilobed structures project obliquely down towards the buccal opening (Fig. 5.4i). The inner face of the base has a pair of laterally diverging processes, which are likely to be the insertion point of muscles involved with movement of the appendages (Kabata, 1962). When the buccal tube is retracted, the plaque on the outer ring can close against the buccal stylets which fit into grooves in the plaque and help maintain the position of the buccal tube. The maxillule lies laterally outside the buccal tube (Boxshall, 1990b). It is a bilobed structure consisting of an inner and outer lobe, representing the praecoxal gnathobase and palp, respectively (Huys and Boxshall, 1991). The inner lobe bears two long setae at the terminal tip, whereas the outer lobe bears a single seta (Kabata, 1979). The maxilla is posterior to the buccal tube and consists of two segments. The proximal segment, representing the praecoxa and coxa (Huys and Boxshall, 1991), is broad and robust and in the female bears two large unciform processes (Kabata, 1979). The distal segment is armed with rows of setules and its tip bears a short claw with parallel rows of setules.

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4.4.3. Infection of the definitive host Mating occurs on the intermediate host (see Section 5.2) and the fertilised female then leaves to search for the definitive host. This is usually a gadoid fish, with cod, whiting (Merlangius merlangus L.), pollack (Pollachius pollachius L.) and haddock being the most common hosts (Kabata, 1979) (Table 5.2). The occurrence of metamorphosed L. branchialis on plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.), sole (Solea solea L.) and dab (Limanda limanda L.) TABLE 5.2 Definitive hosts of Lernaeocera branchialis (adapted from Kabata, 1979) Host species

Family

References

Gadus morhua L.

Gadidae

Merlangius merlangus (L.)

Gadidae

Pollachius pollachius (L.) Pollachius virens (L.) Gadus ogac Richardson Trisopterus minutus (L.)

Gadidae Gadidae

Boxshall, 1974; Hemmingsen et al., 1995, 2000; Jones and Taggart, 1998; Kabata, 1957, 1958; Lee and Khan, 2000; Linderby and Thulin, 1983; Polyanski, 1955; SanchezLizaso and Vasquez, 1987; Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936b; Sherman and Wise, 1961; Shulman and ShulmanAlbova, 1953; Sundnes et al., 1997; Templeman and Fleming, 1963; Templeman et al., 1976; Van Damme and Hamerlynck, 1992; Vazquez et al., 1988; Wilson, 1917 Boxshall, 1974; Desbrosses, 1945; Kabata, 1957; Pilcher et al., 1989; Potter et al., 1988; Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936b; Shotter, 1973a,b, 1976; Smith, 1969; Sproston and Hartley, 1941a; Van Den Broek, 1979a Gouillart, 1937; Sproston and Hartley, 1941a Boxshall, 1974

Gadidae

Wilson, 1917

Gadidae

Olsson, 1869 (continued)

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TABLE 5.2

311

(continued)

Host species

Family

References

Boreogadus saida (Lepechin) Eleginus navaga (Koelreuter) Melanogrammus aeglefinus (L.) Phycis blennoides (BruÂ¨nnich) Molva molva (L.) Merluccius merluccius (L.)

Gadidae

Shulman and Shulman-Albova, 1953 Shulman and Shulman-Albova, 1953 Kabata, 1957, 1958; Polyanski, 1955 Fox, 1945

Ammodytes tobianus L. Dicentrarchus labrax (L.) Serranus cabrilla (L.) Pholis gunnellus (L.) Labrus mixtus L. Callionymus lyra L. Conger conger (L.) Pleuronectes platessa L. Solea solea (L.) Limanda limanda (L.)

Ammodytidae

Gadidae Gadidae Gadidae Gadidae Merluccidae

Serranidae Serranidae Blennidae

Kabata, 1965; Polyanski, 1955 Machado Cruz, 1959; Osorio, 1892; Van Oared-de Lint and Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936 Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936b Van Oared-de Lint and Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936 Radulescu et al., 1972

Pleuronectidae

Van Oared-de Lint and Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936 Olsson, 1869 Hansen, 1923; Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936b Van Oared-de Lint and Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936 Markevich, 1956

Soleidae Pleuronectidae

Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1936b Begg and Bruno, 1999

Labridae Callionymidae Congridae

may indicate that they can be opportunistic parasites, as these species are usually found to be intermediate hosts. It is possible that in the absence of any definitive host options, the fertilised adult female may infect and metamorphose on an intermediate host. The mechanism of host location and identification is unknown in Lernaeocera, although it is likely that chemosensory detection of host-derived cues is involved. In caligids, where chemotaxis has been clearly demonstrated, it is uncertain at present whether the major role of host chemo-reception is to bring the parasite

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into contact with an appropriate host or to assist host recognition once contact has been achieved. This mechanism was originally demonstrated in caligids by Fraile et al. (1993), where mucus from sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) was shown to alter the behaviour of Caligus minimus (Otto, 1821). It has been demonstrated more recently in the caligid Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Kr yer, 1837) where a specific chemical from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) elicits a chemotaxic response (Devine et al., 2000; Ingvarsdottir et al., 2002). It is likely that L. branchialis employs a number of mechanisms to bring it into contact with the host. L. salmonis, for instance, employs mechano-reception to detect host movement (Bron et al., 1993; Heuch and Karlsen, 1997), chemo-reception to recognise host-associated chemical cues (Devine et al., 2000; Ingvarsdottir et al., 2002) and, in adult stages, a pronounced shadow response to passing fish (J. E. B., personal observation). The cues employed by L. branchialis, however, have yet to be established.

4.4.4. Metamorphosis Following fertilisation, the female undergoes a dramatic transformation in size and shape and the segmental boundaries between the somites become obscured. This process begins on the intermediate host and is completed once attached to the definitive host. The metamorphosis has been divided into seven sub-stages by Sproston and Hartley (1941a) (Table 5.3). Examples of the sub-stages can be found in Khan (1988). Once a host has been located, the female preferentially attaches to the filaments of the third gill arch (Van den Broek, 1978, 1979b) and from there migrates to the ventral portion of the gill arch (P-stage) (Kabata, 1958). The long genital complex twists and dilates, the cuticle becomes thicker and the neck extends along the branchial artery (Uâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;V-stage). Antlers grow from the cephalothorax, penetrating the host and anchoring the adult (W-stage). Metamorphosis is rapid and antlers have been found in the bulbus arteriosus 5 days after infection (Smith et al., 2007). The mouth is situated at the end of the buccal cone, at the centre of the antlers and is embedded in the blood vessel of the host (Sproston and Hartley, 1941a). Following the commencement of feeding, the swollen genital segment becomes darker red and two long, irregularly coiled uniseriate egg strings are extruded just above the abdomen (X-stage). The eggs have an extended hatching period with eggs hatching for around 12 days (Y-stage) (Whitfield et al., 1988). Because of the persistence of parasite attachment structures and host tissue responses following the death of the parasite, signs of previous parasite infection have usually been characterised as stages. Due to the permanent mode of attachment, the antlers remain in the host tissues after the death of the parasite and have been termed as Z-stage (Khan, 1988). Similarly, if the parasite is successfully rejected by the host, a proliferation of gill arch tissue is found without the presence of the parasite and has been termed an R-stage.

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TABLE 5.3 Classification of Lernaeocera branchialis adult female metamorphosis sub-stages found on whiting (based on Sproston and Hartley, 1941a; Van Damme and Hamerlynck, 1992) Sub-stage

Definition

Pennella (P1)

Abdomen elongate but straight, genital region not swollen, recently attached to the host, fully pigmented One point of flexure, genital region not swollen, penetration of host tissue, rudiments of three holdfast processes present Two or three points of flexure, genital region not swollen, holdfast processes begin to elongate Torsion of abdomen complete—full sigmoid curvature, genital region partly swollen, holdfast processes with some secondary branching Fully metamorphosed, genital region fully swollen, fully developed branched holdfast, no external egg strings External egg strings present

Pennella (P2)

Immature (U) Immature (V)

Mature—pregravid (W) Mature— gravid (X) X1 X2 Mature—postgravid (Y) Dead parasite (Z) Rejected parasite (R)

Immature eggs Mature pigmented eggs External egg strings partly or completely spent Remains of holdfast embedded in host tissue Absence of parasite specimen, proliferation of gill arch tissue

Although included by Sproston and Hartley (1941a) and Van Damme and Hamerlynck (1992), the dead parasite (Z-stage) and rejected parasite (R-stage) cannot strictly be described as parasite sub-stages. Estimates of the life span of the adult female vary from 8 weeks (Sproston, 1942) through 9–10 months (Khan, 1988) to 1 year or more (Capart, 1948; Schuurmans Stekhoven and Punt, 1937). No methods allow a direct estimation of the life span of the adult female in wild populations (Sundnes, 1970) and aquarium studies do not reflect the situation in the wild. Consequently, the life span of the adult female is an issue which remains unresolved. The metamorphosis of L. branchialis from a free-swimming copepod to a worm-like protrusion from the gill cavity of its host without any further moults was first reported by Metzger (1868). The mechanism that allows the cuticle to increase in size with at least a 20-fold increase in the length

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and girth of the abdomen was formally elucidated using SEM and TEM ultrastructural analysis by Smith and Whitfield (1988), although Kabata (1979) described a pattern of ‘transverse wrinkling’ on the abdomen which is in fact a series of posteriorly directed transverse cuticular folds that allow expansion of the cuticle (Fig. 5.4iv). The mean density of the folds on unfertilised adult females is around 1.04 mm 1 of abdominal length; but once the female has been fertilised, the folds are pulled apart resulting in a linear decrease in the density of the folds with increasing abdominal length (Smith and Whitfield, 1988). The development of the folded cuticle occurs before the chalimus IV to adult moult, beneath the cuticle of the chalimus IV. Using TEM, it has been shown that the cuticle consists of an outer epicuticle of about 0.08-mm thickness and an inner procuticle, which can be divided into two layers, an inner and an outer layer (Smith and Whitfield, 1988). Once secretion of the adult cuticle has begun, it is thrown into a series of first order folds around 4–6 mm deep and then later into large-scale second order folds about 8–10 mm deep, resulting in a complex superfolded cuticle. The adult females do not possess these second order folds suggesting that they straighten out during the moult from the chalimus IV, which would account for the 43% increase in abdominal length at the moult. The pulling apart of the first order folds results in a sixfold increase in abdominal length (Smith and Whitfield, 1988). As the final elongation factor is about 20-fold, there must be other mechanisms involved. It is suggested that these may include continued and large-scale secretion after the final moult and a change in the properties of the inextensible cuticle to allow for further increases in girth and length.

5. REPRODUCTION 5.1. Mating strategies In common with other parasitic copepods, for example, caligids, males reach maturity before females from the same brood and once they are mature, they begin to search for a mate (Anstensrud, 1989). Mate guarding by males is common in L. branchialis and they will establish pre-copula with all stages of developing females on the host, although they prefer females closer to maturation (Anstensrud, 1992; Heuch and Schram, 1996). This behaviour is common in other parasitic copepods such as L. salmonis (Hull et al., 1998) and C. elongatus, which have been seen to move vigorously over the surface of a fish in search of females and to exhibit mate guarding if females are not mature (Piasecki and MacKinnon, 1995). However, males tend to show a preference for a chalimus female over an adult virgin female in pre-copula with another

Biology of the Parasitic Copepod Lernaeocera branchialis

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male, suggesting that a male has little chance of taking over a female from another male (Anstensrud, 1992). Sex-specific signals are developed early in L. branchialis as significantly more mature males will choose chalimus I females than chalimus I males. However, mature males sometimes assume pre-copula with immature males, indicating that sex-specific signals may be weak and confusing at this stage (Heuch and Schram, 1996). The establishment of these male– male associations suggests that mate recognition may be based on tactile stimuli and not pheromones. Mature males always leave the immature parasite in this situation once the correct signals are not obtained. Males can also recognise an already inseminated female, which has attached spermatophores, and will refuse to mate with a non-virgin female if presented with other female options. It is likely that males will guard the first female they encounter as many males are found guarding immature females, while some mature females are found without male company (Kabata, 1958). In most cases, the first male to take up the pre-copula position with a chalimus female also takes up the copula position once the female matures (Anstensrud, 1989, 1992). At high male:female ratios, males tend to surround a female or form clusters of males only, attached by their chelate antennae to a gill filament close together or attached to each other (Anstensrud, 1989, 1992).

5.2. Copulation After a chalimus female has been located, the male assumes a pre-copula position with its antennae gripping the female in the vicinity of its frontal attachment apparatus (Boxshall, 1990a), often penetrating the gill filament to grip the frontal filament of the female (Kabata, 1958). The male remains in this position until the female moults into the adult. Immediately after the female’s ecdysis, the male crawls backwards on the dorsal side of the female using its antennae while the maxillipeds are moved back and forth over the ventral surface of the female (Anstensrud, 1989). Once the male reaches the copula position, it grasps the female’s trunk just behind the last leg-bearing thoracic segment with its antennae. Transfer of spermatophores takes place within 1 h of the establishment of the copula position. The spermatophores are expelled after a series of contractions of the male’s genital complex and are pushed anteriorly towards the ventral surface of the male’s genital complex, being retained by several rows of hook-like processes just anterior to the genital orifices. The male then bends its posterior segments under the female’s genital complex and positions the spermatophores on the female’s genital opening. The spermatophores are held in position by the long setae of the male’s first swimming legs until the male’s trunk slowly straightens out. Copulation is complete within 2–3 min. Males take 3 days to produce the first

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pair of spermatophores and 17 h to produce each of the following ones (Anstensrud, 1990b). Anstensrud (1989) found that males without maxillipeds are not usually able to fertilise females successfully. In the Pennellidae, only males have maxillipeds (Kabata, 1979), and this suggests that they may be connected with reproduction, possibly being used for mechano-reception of the femaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s genital opening, orientation on the female, determination of the maturity of the female (Anstensrud, 1989) and relaxation of the femaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s genital opening.

5.3. Male competition The females can be inseminated more than once and often the first male to assume pre-copula with the female will inseminate her repeatedly (Anstensrud, 1990c). This may be to reduce sperm competition from subsequent males by filling up the receptaculum seminis of the female, as sperm masses from different males become mixed within the receptaculum seminis (Anstensrud, 1990b,c). Egg production starts 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9 months after copulation (Anstensrud, 1990c; Khan, 1988), allowing plenty of time for sperm masses to become mixed. In experiments, 97% of females were inseminated at least twice and the number of males copulating with the first female more than three times increased significantly in the presence of a male competitor (Anstensrud, 1990c). Given other options, mature males avoid inseminated females, preferring virgin females or immature stages, again indicating the likelihood of sperm competition within the receptaculum seminis (Heuch and Schram, 1996). Based on spermatophore volumes and quantities of sperm in the receptaculum seminis of females, the maximum number of inseminations per female was five (Anstensrud, 1990c). The amount of time spent on the intermediate host is reduced as a female is inseminated more. Virgin females tend to spend around 8 days on the host, whereas females that have been copulated once or twice spend around 4 and 3 days, respectively (Anstensrud, 1990a). This suggests that one copulation is not sufficient and that lingering on the intermediate host is an adaptation to secure sufficient insemination. Due to the short period of time that females spend on the intermediate host, the males remain and tend to accumulate as they do not leave the intermediate host, leading to high male:female ratios. The 50% survival time of adult males is 5 weeks (Anstensrud, 1990c).

5.4. Fecundity Once a pair of egg strings has been extruded, embryonic development of L. branchialis takes around 13 days at 10 C (Whitfield et al., 1988). The number of eggs in a single pair of egg strings is high for parasitic

Biology of the Parasitic Copepod Lernaeocera branchialis

317

copepods. Whitfield et al. (1988) found a mean of 1445 and a maximum in excess of 3,000 eggs. Under laboratory conditions, hatching continued for a maximum of 12 days and followed an exponential decline. Less than half (44.2%) reached the infective copepodid stage, the rest failing to hatch or develop to the nauplius II or copepodid stages. However, if the egg strings are removed, the female extrudes another set within 48 h, demonstrating the iteroparous reproductive capacity of L. branchialis. It is likely that the female can rapidly produce several egg strings, maybe one pair every 2 weeks, depending on water temperature (Anstensrud, 1990c). Given that oviposition may continue for a year (Khan, 1988), the maximum fecundity of a single L. branchialis female is estimated to be around 36,400 eggs (Heuch and Schram, 1996).

5.5. Female fitness The high fecundity of L. branchialis females may be a result of the two-host life cycle (Anstensrud, 1990c). Females probably have relatively high postcopula mortality once they leave the intermediate host and as a consequence their fitness may be reduced. This is compensated for by high fecundity. The need to accommodate this high fecundity of females may be a selective mechanism resulting in a relatively high volume and rapid production of spermatophores by males (Anstensrud, 1990b). This high spermatophore volume may also serve to benefit the female nutritionally during the pelagic phase, as the seminal constituents may be absorbed from the receptaculum seminis after insemination (Anstensrud, 1990b). The presence of seminal fluid in the receptaculum seminis is also essential for the metamorphosis of the female as Anstensrud (1990a) found that significantly fewer virgin females reached the penella stage and none metamorphosed past the U-stage on the final host.

5.6. Egg strings and egg-string attachment The egg strings of L. branchialis are long, narrow and possess individually stacked eggs, that is, uniseriate. Each irregularly coiled egg string is extruded from a gonopore situated just above the constriction which divides the abdomen from the genital complex. Branching tree-like structures, developed from the vitellarium, form the central axis of each egg string and are held to them by thin membranes, giving them an interwoven appearance (Schram and Heuch, 2001). This structure is unique to the genus Lernaeocera (Kabata, 1979). Like many other parasitic copepods, the egg strings are mechanically secured by a hook inside the genital complex, which is found just outside the atrium on each side (Schram and Heuch, 2001). The cupulate hook bases are attached to the body wall with connective tissue and muscle,

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with five bands of muscle on each hook for suspension and movement, between 1 and 1.8 mm long. A suture in the atrium allows the hook tip to enter and protractor and retractor muscles allow the hook to act as a lever and swing across the atrium. Where the tip of the hook makes contact with the proximal end of the egg string, a concave depression is formed in the egg string as the hook enters a notch in the opposite side of the atrium, locking the egg string in place.

5.7. The male reproductive system and spermatozoon ultrastructure In the mature male, the reproductive system consists of two linearly arranged sets of reproductive organs, each comprising a testis, a vas deferens, a seminal vesicle and a spermatophore sac (Capart, 1948). The testes are located in the cephalothorax and are bilobed, each consisting of a main lobe attached to the vas deferens and a smaller central lobe (Grant and Whitfield, 1988). Spermiogenesis begins with the spermatocytes which are located more dorsally and proceeds ventrally in the testis and along the vas deferens where the spherical spermatids, each about 4 mm diameter, are transformed into mature spermatozoa. The mature spermatozoa are packed in ovoid spermatophores in the spermatophore sacs. The mature spermatozoa are thread-like cells about 30 mm in length and 1 mm in diameter (Grant and Whitfield, 1988). The cells are immotile in seawater. SEM analysis reveals that the cell is javelin-shaped, tapering at both ends and displaying a four-lobed helical twist along its surface. The spermatozoon does not have a defined nucleus enclosed by a nuclear envelope, but the nuclear chromatin is a finely granular/filamentous material associated with a pseudomembranous structure that extends along the central core of the cell. The cell membrane consists of longitudinally orientated microfilaments and some microtubules, although there are no mitochondria or acrosome present in the cell. The characteristics possessed by the spermatozoa of L. branchialis are not shared by any other copepod species, although each individual characteristic is possessed by at least one other species (Grant and Whitfield, 1988).

6. PHYSIOLOGY 6.1. Feeding and maintenance of the internal environment The cuticle of L. branchialis is highly chitinised (Sproston and Hartley, 1941b), meaning that the parasite is relatively impermeable. Sproston and Hartley (1941b) found that unlike most marine invertebrates, L. branchialis

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319

is able to keep its body hypotonic in its marine environment as long as it remains attached to the host. Feeding on the hypotonic blood of the host compensates for slow osmosis of water through the body wall. However, once removed from the host, isotonicity is established with the external medium due to water being taken in through the mouth in place of the blood of the host (Sproston and Hartley, 1941b). Since the parasite is hypotonic to its external environment, it is likely that there is no intake of water by the anus. Sproston and Hartley (1941b) observed no movement of fine particles in suspension around the anus and microscopical examination shows a funnel-like depression at the posterior extremity of the parasite but it does not perforate the cuticle. This is not surprising, as in many blood feeding parasites the digestion is slow but complete. However, free iron liberated from haemoglobin catabolism is toxic and blood feeding parasites must develop mechanisms to prevent iron reaching toxic levels. In the pennellid, Cardiodectes medusaeus (Wilson), free iron is converted to non-toxic ferritin and stored in the frontal attachment organ as ferritin crystals (Perkins, 1985). As L. branchialis is unable to excrete dietary waste products, it is likely that a similar mechanism is present and a non-toxic form of iron is stored in the parasite. Although L. branchialis can maintain its haemolymph hypotonic to sea water, it is dependent on the osmolarity of the surrounding medium. In experiments, the osmolarity of the parasite haemolymph decreased asymptotically in 50% seawater such that L. branchialis cannot survive below a salinity of about 16% (Knaus Knudsen and Sundnes, 1998). This is in line with a survey in Baltic waters that reported that L. branchialis was not found in waters of salinities below 18% (Sundnes et al., 1997). Feeding is discontinuous and the mouth is opened only at well-spaced intervals to admit a meal of blood which is retained in the gut for a long period (Sproston and Hartley, 1941b). The blood pressure of the host is increased around the site of injury by the parasite due to the fibrotic thickening of the ventral aorta and bulbus arteriosus (Smith et al., 2007) so the parasite controls the intake of blood by keeping the mouth closed and opening it only briefly to feed at intervals. These feeding periods are suggested to be triggered by a drop in hydrostatic pressure due to the slow osmosis of water through the cuticle in response to the hypotonicity of the parasite to sea water (Sproston and Hartley, 1941b). Once the hydrostatic pressure drops below a limiting value, the mouth is opened to admit host blood and the hypotonicity is restored. This discontinuous feeding is supported by measurements of osmotic pressure of the body fluid of L. branchialis attached to the host, where a considerable variation in values was observed (Panikkar and Sproston, 1941). Although L. branchialis generally has a red colouration, there is no open connection between the vascular system of the host and the digestive system of the parasite (Sundnes, 1970). The haemocoel has a red

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colouration, but this is distinct from host haemoglobin and the digestive system of the parasite has no red colouration with no haemoglobin present, which indicates that haemoglobin is separated from the blood serum before it enters the parasite (Sundnes, 1970). Although it has not been demonstrated in L. branchialis, immunosupression of the host is common in ectoparasites and it is possible that L. branchialis uses some form of immunosupression to counteract the hostâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immune response. Fast et al. (2002, 2004) found evidence that the caligid L. salmonis immunoregulates its host at the sites of attachment and feeding. Two substances amongst other undescribed substances were found, prostaglandin E2 and trypsin, which were shown to immunomodulate the host. In other arthropod parasites, prostaglandin E2 is known to play a variety of roles, including vasodilation, which would be useful in maintaining blood flow to the site of feeding since blood constitutes a component of the diet of L. salmonis (Brandal et al., 1976; Bricknell et al., 2003). As L. branchialis is entirely a blood feeder, prostaglandin E2 could have a role in maintaining a blood flow. Prostaglandin E2 could also adversely affect site-specific leucocyte recruitment and activity (Papadogiannakis and Johnsen, 1987; Papadogiannakis et al., 1984; To and Schrieber, 1990), which could help prevent rejection of L. branchialis by its host. As trypsin is found in the guts and saliva of some arthropod parasites (Kerlin and Hughes, 1992) and also inhibits phagocytosis in monocytes (Huber et al., 1968), Fast et al. (2003) suggested that trypsin derived from L. salmonis may decrease host phagocytic activity and immune responses after infection and it is possible that L. branchialis employs a similar mechanism to locally immunomodulate the host. Although immunosuppression of the host is most likely to occur at the site of attachment, an accumulation of several parasites may eventually cause immunosuppression of the entire host (Fast et al., 2003) and may be the reason why fish harbouring secondary infections concurrent with L. branchialis are more likely to succumb to the infection (Khan and Lacey, 1986).

6.2. Respiration In many parasitic copepods, respiration occurs principally through the cuticle and/or the anus but Sproston and Hartley (1941b) suggest that in L. branchialis, cuticular respiration is minimal due to heavy chitinisation and that oxygen enters the parasite via the mouth in the form of the blood of the host. However, Sundnes (1970) propose that this is not the case as the usual location of L. branchialis is on the venous side of the gills where oxygen content is low. Diffusion of oxygen through the cuticle may be sufficient for a sluggish animal with the limited size of L. branchialis and osmotic experiments indicated that gas diffusion is evident. A two-way peristalsis causes turbulence within the haemocoel and may be the mechanism of internal oxygen distribution (Sproston and Hartley, 1941b).

321

Biology of the Parasitic Copepod Lernaeocera branchialis

7. DISTRIBUTION 7.1. Geographic distribution The geographic distribution of L. branchialis is circumscribed by the distribution of its intermediate and final hosts and restricted by salinity and temperature. L. branchialis is therefore restricted to the North Atlantic and adjacent seas (Kabata, 1979) (Fig. 5.5). As the swimming abilities of the pre-metamorphosed adult are suggested to be limited (Sproston, 1942) and the timing of this stage is short (Schuurmans Stekhoven and Punt, 1937), infection of the definitive host is suggested to be possible only where its distribution directly overlaps that of the intermediate host.

PSU <2 4 6 8 10 12

âŹ&#x161;C <4 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

(i)

(ii)

16 18 20 22 24 26 28 >30

Cod

Distribution

Haddock

Recorded location

Whiting

(iii)

(iv)

FIGURE 5.5 Schematic maps of the published distribution of Lernaeocera branchialis and the environmental boundaries that may determine the distribution. (i) Mean sea surface temperature, (ii) salinity, (iii) definitive host distribution, (iv) theoretical and observed distribution of L. branchialis.

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Around the majority of the United Kingdom, the life cycle of L. branchialis alternates between P. flesus (flounder) as the intermediate host and M. merlangus (whiting) or G. morhua (cod) as the definitive host. As the flounder is predominantly an inshore and estuarine species, the habitats of these species only overlap when juvenile whiting and cod migrate inshore to nursery grounds and this is where the greatest infection takes place (Pilcher et al., 1989; Potter et al., 1988; Shotter, 1973a,b; Sproston and Hartley, 1941a; Van den Broek, 1979a). Whiting caught in deeper, offshore waters have very little infection as they have moved out of the range of the intermediate host (Pilcher et al., 1989; Potter et al., 1988; Shotter, 1973a,b; Sproston and Hartley, 1941a), although fish that have previously been infected and outlived the parasite can be identified by anchor wounds in the gill arch (Pilcher et al., 1989). Around the Isle of Man, L. branchialis was found to be more prevalent in inshore locations than in offshore deeper water, although the parasite was more prevalent on the east coast than on the west coast (Shotter, 1973a,b). This is thought to be due to flounder being more common on the east coast than the west coast. In the northern North Sea, lemon sole (M. kitt) are the predominant intermediate host for L. branchialis (Kabata, 1957, 1958). As lemon sole is not restricted to shallow inshore waters, maximum prevalence of L. branchialis is usually found where there is a high abundance of lemon sole and haddock or cod, the most common definitive hosts in this area. On the Northwest Atlantic coast, Cyclopterus lumpus L. (lumpfish) have been found to be the most common intermediate host of L. branchialis (Fleming and Templeman, 1951; Templeman et al., 1976). In the waters around Newfoundland, the prevalence of L. branchialis often reaches 100% on lumpfish (Templeman et al., 1976), although the prevalence of the parasite decreases in southern Newfoundland waters. The parasite is most abundant on cod from inshore waters, where they inhabit similar areas to the lumpfish, than in deeper offshore waters. Templeman and Fleming (1963) noted that the highest prevalence on cod occurs in the warmer, southern waters of Newfoundland, rather than cooler, northern waters. They suggest that higher growth rates in cod in warmer waters may reduce the pathogenic effects of L. branchialis, allowing southern Newfoundland cod populations to support a higher level of infection. Further north around Labrador, prevalence on cod decreases with increasing latitude (Jones and Taggart, 1998). This pattern correlates with the distribution of the intermediate host, lumpfish, which is found less frequently in more northern waters (Stevenson and Baird, 1988). Conversely, on the Norwegian coast, the prevalence on cod was found to decrease from north to south (Sundnes, 1970). The prevalence in cod was very low (<1%) in catches from the Spitzbergen Bank, which may be due to the distance from the coast (and the habitat of the intermediate host)

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323

(Sanchez-Lizaso and Vasquez, 1987; Vazquez et al., 1988). However, there may also be other factors affecting infected fish, which could explain the low prevalence of infection in offshore waters, such as mortality caused by the parasite, an inability to swim into deeper waters due to retention of excessive air in the swim bladder and predation of weakened infected fish during migration (Khan, 1988). Compared with studies in European waters, the prevalence on the definitive host is relatively low, around 10–20%, which may reflect the fact that the habitats of the intermediate host and definitive host often do not overlap directly. L. branchialis cannot survive in salinities below 16% (Knaus Knudsen and Sundnes, 1998) (see Section 6.1). In a study of L. branchialis on cod in Baltic waters, no parasites were found in salinities below 20% (Sundnes et al., 1997). There is only one record of L. branchialis being found in the Mediterranean (Brian, 1906), although this may have been a misidentification. Sherman and Wise (1961) found that the prevalence of L. branchialis decreases with decreasing latitude on the West Atlantic coast. At 44 N, where ocean surface temperatures can range from 2–5 C in the winter to 16–20 C in the summer, the prevalence reached 18% but decreased to only 1% at 41 N, where ocean surface temperatures can range from 8–10 C in the winter to 24–26 C in the summer (Fig. 5.5i). As the cod extends its range south of 41 N in sufficient numbers to support a fishery, it appears that L. branchialis may be limited by warmer waters.

7.2. Prevalence and intensity of host infection In species such as cod, whiting and haddock, juvenile fish migrate inshore to nursery grounds until they mature and migrate to deeper offshore waters. As the highest prevalence of L. branchialis is usually found in inshore waters, where the habitats of the intermediate and definitive hosts overlap, juvenile fish are the most common definitive host (Table 5.4). Sproston and Hartley (1941a) found that juvenile whiting less than 10 cm in length entering the Tamar Estuary, United Kingdom, were free from infection. Prevalence increased the longer the fish remained in the estuary. Prevalence was 7.5% for fish 10–15 cm in length and 22.3% for fish 15–25 cm in length. Similarly, juvenile whiting less than 7.5 cm in length entering the Medway Estuary, United Kingdom, were almost free from infection with a prevalence of 1.8%, but infection was rapid and peaked soon after their inshore migration (Van den Broek, 1977). In fish 12.5–14.9 cm in length, prevalence was 56.1%. By the time the whiting mature and migrate offshore out of the range of the intermediate host, most fish have outlived the parasite and the prevalence of L. branchialis in these older fish is low (Pilcher et al., 1989). Prevalence on flounder was very high (up to 100% in some cases) in all age groups,

324 TABLE 5.4

Studies regarding the prevalence and intensity of Lernaeocera branchialis infections in varying sizes of different fish hosts

Location

Species

Size range

Year class

Prevalence (%)

Intensity

References

Tamar Estuary, United Kingdom

Merlangius merlangus

10–15 cm

–

7.5

–

Sproston and Hartley, 1941a

North Norway

Gadus morhua

15–25 cm –

– >5þ

22.3 0

– –

– – –

6þ >7þ 2þ

5 10 24

– – –

– – – 13–28 cm

3þ 4þ 5þ –

28 32 26 19.6

– – – –

Shotter, 1973a

28–38 cm –

– 0þ

36.8 2.5

– 1.0

Shotter, 1973b

– –

2þ 0þ

6.7 0

1.0 0

–

2þ

0.8

1.0

Borgenfjord, Norway

Gadus morhua

Isle of Man, United Kingdom

Merlangius merlangus

Isle of Man, United Kingdom (inshore)

Merlangius merlangus

Isle of Man, United Kingdom (offshore)

Merlangius merlangus

Sundnes, 1970

Newfoundland

Cyclopterus lumpus

Gadus morhua

Medway Estuary, United Kingdom

Platichthys flesus

Merlangius merlangus

Spitzbergen Bank, North Atlantic

Gadus morhua

30–34 cm

–

231.25

35–39 cm 40–44 cm 45–49 cm 50–54 cm 11–30 cm

– – – – –

– – – – 2.6

122.7 93.38 168.40 191.8 –

31–50 cm 51–90 cm –

– – 0þ

4.9 2.2 95.7

– – 20.7

– – – – <7.5 cm

1þ 2þ 3þ 4/5þ –

95.7 97.6 100 100 1.8

46.3 92.1 149.8 111.6 –

12.5– 14.9 cm <50 cm

–

56.1

–

0.175

–

51–59 cm 60–68 cm >69 cm

– – –

0.610 1.533 0.633

– – –

Templeman et al., 1976

Van den Broek, 1979a

Sanchez-Lizaso and Vasquez, 1987

325

(continued)

TABLE 5.4

(continued)

Location

Species

Size range

Year class

Prevalence (%)

Intensity

References

Severn Estuary, United Kingdom

Merlangius merlangus

–

0þ

–

Potter et al., 1988

Spitzbergen Bank, North Atlantic

Gadus morhua

– –

1þ 3þ

10.5 0.85

– –

– – – <36 cm

4þ 5þ 6þ –

0.75 1.01 1.08 0

– – – –

36–49 cm 50–63 cm 64–77 cm 78–91 cm >91 cm

– – – – – 2þ3

9.48 6.46 3.3 1.61 0 31

– – – – – –

4 5 6 7þ8

20.5 19 35 35.5

– – – –

Newfoundland/ Labrador

Balsfjord, Norway

Gadus morhua

Vazquez et al., 1988

Jones and Taggart, 1998

Hemmingsen et al., 2000

Biology of the Parasitic Copepod Lernaeocera branchialis

327

although the intensity of infection increased from 20.7 in 0þ fish to 149.8 in 3þ fish (Van den Broek, 1979a). As flounder remain inshore throughout the year, where infection is more intense, this result is not unexpected. Around the Isle of Man, the prevalence of L. branchialis in different age groups of whiting was similar to other areas (Table 5.4), with younger 0þ fish having a lower prevalence than older 2þ fish, although the prevalence was generally lower in offshore populations (Shotter, 1973b). The pattern of prevalence is different in the northern North Sea where older haddock are the most common definitive host as they are found in the same areas as the intermediate host, lemon sole (Kabata, 1958). In Norwegian waters, two different populations of cod showed different infection dynamics (Sundnes, 1970). 2þ fish from Bjorgenfjord showed considerable infection prevalence of 27.3%, whereas fish from Arcto-Norwegian populations were not infected until they were at least 5 years old. 0þ Arcto-Norwegian cod leave coastal waters to feed in the Barents Sea where they are out of the range of infected intermediate hosts and are not exposed to L. branchialis until they begin their spawning migration. Prevalence decreased in older Bjorgenfjord fish, suggesting that infection often caused mortality, whereas a slight increase in prevalence in older cod was seen in Arcto-Norwegian populations, indicating that infection did not cause mortality in these older fish and also that there was continuous exposure to infection. A similar pattern exists on the Northwest Atlantic coast where juvenile cod from inshore waters are more likely to be infected than older cod, due to their proximity to the major intermediate host, the lumpfish. In the waters around Newfoundland, Templeman et al. (1976) found that the maximum prevalence of 4.9% was found in intermediate length cod of 31–50 cm in length, but declined to 2.2% at fish lengths of 51–90 cm, as these older cod are usually found offshore. There was no distinct pattern in the intensity of infection of lumpfish of different ages, as they tend to inhabit coastal habitats where transmission of infection occurs readily, so infection is high on all ages of fish. This is comparable to the pattern of infection found in flounder in United Kingdom waters. Jones and Taggart (1998) found a similar pattern of prevalence in cod around the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts, with the greatest prevalence of 9.48% occurring in fish 36–49 cm in length and prevalence decreasing at lower and higher fish lengths. However, these authors attribute the highest prevalence at lower fish lengths to a reduction in growth rates of infected cod and not to the migratory behaviour of the fish.

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7.3. Seasonality The seasonal distribution of L. branchialis is influenced by the migrations of the host populations. In general, prevalence and intensity of L. branchialis on the definitive host is higher in winter than in summer as this is when the definitive hosts migrate inshore and occupy the same habitat as the intermediate hosts (Tables 5.5 and 5.6). In the southern North Sea, the highest prevalence in whiting occurs in winter due to the increased overlap between the whiting and flounder populations in shallow coastal areas (Pilcher et al., 1989). However, this pattern of infection of flounder and whiting is not apparent in the northern North Sea at latitudes higher than 57 N where the cycle alternates between lemon sole and haddock (Kabata, 1958; Van den Broek, 1979a). Recruitment on the definitive host increases between May and June, with maximum prevalence occurring around September. Other European studies have been more localised, examining fish mainly from inshore waters or estuaries. In the Medway Estuary, United Kingdom, the prevalence on flounder was high throughout the year with a mean of 96.7% (Van den Broek, 1979a). Infection intensity was also high with a mean intensity of 64.9 parasites per infected fish although this did vary throughout the year with peaks in June and December. Whiting entering the estuary in the autumn from offshore waters were generally uninfected, but the infection reached a peak soon after their migration inshore, with the maximum intensity of infection in flounder being recorded 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3 months after the highest prevalence of mature adult parasites was recorded on whiting (Van den Broek, 1979b). A similar pattern was seen in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary, United Kingdom, where the greatest prevalence on whiting was found in January and February, several months after their migration from offshore (Potter et al., 1988). The greatest prevalence on whiting in the Tamar Estuary was seen in July and August, several months after the year class 0 fish moved into the estuary (Sproston and Hartley, 1941a). Once these fish migrated offshore in the spring, the prevalence of L. branchialis on whiting in the estuary was 100% although fish that migrated were virtually free from infection. Sproston and Hartley (1941a) concluded that the infected fish tend to linger in the estuary allowing L. branchialis to complete its life cycle and shed its eggs in the inshore waters, increasing the probability of encounter of copepodids with the intermediate host following hatching and development. No significant difference was found in the prevalence on flounder throughout the year. This could be attributed to the ability of the adult parasites to produce more than one pair of egg strings and the extended incubation of around 2 weeks (Whitfield et al., 1988). In the Oosterschelde (SW Netherlands), transmission to whiting can only occur in the spring and autumn when these fish are present in

TABLE 5.5

Studies regarding seasonality in the prevalence of Lernaeocera branchialis on different hosts

Location

Species

Habitat

Prevalence

Seasonality

References

Tamar Estuary, United Kingdom

Platichthys flesus

Inshore

Low

Tamar Estuary, United Kingdom

Merlangius merlangus

Inshore

Low–high

Yes

Tamar Estuary, United Kingdom

Pollachius pollachius

Inshore

Low

Yes

Plymouth, United Kingdom

Merlangius merlangus

Offshore

Low

Borgenfjord, Norway North Norway Isle of Man, United Kingdom Isle of Man, United Kingdom Newfoundland

Gadus morhua Gadus morhua Merlangius merlangus

Inshore Inshore Inshore

No No Yes

Merlangius merlangus

Offshore

Moderate Low Low– moderate None

Sproston and Hartley, 1941a Sproston and Hartley, 1941a Sproston and Hartley, 1941a Sproston and Hartley, 1941a Sundnes, 1970 Sundnes, 1970 Shotter, 1973a,b

Shotter, 1973a,b

Cyclopterus lumpus

Inshore

High

Newfoundland

Cyclopterus lumpus

Offshore

Low– moderate

Yes

Templeman et al., 1976 Templeman et al., 1976 (continued)

330 TABLE 5.5

(continued)

Location

Species

Habitat

Prevalence

Seasonality

References

Newfoundland

Gadus morhua

Inshore

Low

Yes

Medway Estuary, United Kingdom Medway Estuary, United Kingdom Sweden, south and west coasts Severn Estuary, United Kingdom Balsfjord, Norway

Platichthys flesus

Inshore

High

Merlangius merlangus

Inshore

Yes

Gadus morhua

Inshore

Merlangius merlangus

Inshore

Gadus morhua

Oosterschelde, The Netherlands

Merlangius merlangus

Deep, inshore Inshore

Moderate– high Low– moderate Low– moderate Moderate Moderate– high

Yes

Templeman et al., 1976 Van den Broek, 1979a Van den Broek, 1979a Linderby and Thulin, 1983 Potter et al., 1988 Hemmingsen et al., 1995 Van Damme and Hamerlynck, 1992; Van Damme et al., 1997

Yes Yes No

TABLE 5.6

Studies regarding seasonality in the intensity of Lernaeocera branchialis on different hosts

Location

Species

Habitat

Intensity

Seasonality

References

Newfoundland

Cyclopterus lumpus Cyclopterus lumpus Platichthys flesus Merlangius merlangus Merlangius merlangus

Inshore

Low–high

Yes

Templeman et al., 1976

Offshore

Low

Templeman et al., 1976

Inshore

Moderate– high Moderate

Yes

Van den Broek, 1979a

Yes

Van den Broek, 1979a

Low

Yes

Pilcher et al., 1989

Moderate

Hemmingsen et al., 1995

Low–high

Yes

Van Damme and Hamerlynck, 1992; Van Damme et al., 1997

Newfoundland Medway Estuary, United Kingdom Medway Estuary, United Kingdom North Sea

Balsfjord, Norway Oosterschelde, The Netherlands

Gadus morhua Merlangius merlangus

Inshore Inshore and offshore Deep, inshore Inshore

331

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shallow gullies with the intermediate host, flounder (Van Damme and Hamerlynck, 1992; Van Damme et al., 1997). During the hot summer months, whiting occupy the deeper gullies and in the winter they migrate offshore. The prevalence of infection in whiting peaked at 30–50% in May and 70–90% in December, with a mean infection intensity of 1.6 in December. This high prevalence in whiting is indicative of an area where parasite transmission is highly successful due to the high abundance of flounder as is the case for the Tamar and the Medway Estuaries, United Kingdom (Sproston and Hartley, 1941a; Van den Broek, 1979a). In Balsfjord, Norway, no seasonality was found in L. branchialis on cod in samples taken from deep water (ranging from 110 to 180 m) (Hemmingsen et al., 1995). The fjord is relatively isolated with a sill at the entrance and it is likely that the cod have formed a distinct population and that transmission of parasites occurs throughout the year. The lack of seasonality might also be attributed to the lack of major change in temperature throughout the year at these depths. On the Northwest Atlantic coast in the Newfoundland area, lumpfish are common in coastal waters and during the spring and summer a prevalence of 100% was generally found, although in southern waters the prevalence was much lower, around 0–20% (Templeman et al., 1976). The intensity of infection in inshore waters was often very high, sometimes as many as 5,000–6,000 parasites per fish and on one individual 26,700 parasites were estimated (Templeman et al., 1976). The intensity peaked in the summer and tailed off to minimal numbers during winter. Transmission to cod occurs in the summer and autumn when the smaller cod are found close inshore and the prevalence is highest on cod during these months. In offshore waters, the prevalence on lumpfish was much lower, usually around 20–50% and intensity was around 0.1–0.5 parasites per fish, but with no apparent seasonality.

8. PATHOGENICITY Infection of the definitive host by adult female L. branchialis has been observed to induce anaemia and loss of weight in its host; reduces fat content, liver somatic index, haematocrit levels and reproductive capacity; and causes localised sores, scarring and mortality (Hislop and Shanks, 1981; Kabata, 1958; Khan, 1988; Khan and Lacey, 1986; Khan et al., 1990; Mann, 1970; Moller, 1983; Smith et al., 2007; Van den Broek, 1978; Van Damme et al., 1994). In comparison, L. lusci is suggested to be less pathogenic towards its definitive host (Van Damme et al., 1994), whilst Eiras (1986) and Brinkworth et al. (2000) failed to find evidence for the pathogenicity of L. lusci. Mortality of infected definitive hosts is greatest amongst the smallest size classes and Khan (1988) reported a

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mortality of 43% in infected cod 36â&#x20AC;&#x201C;41 cm, compared with 31% in fish >54 cm. Most deaths occurred in the first 4 months after infection and were largely associated with multiple infections. Death of young fish was associated with emaciation, haemorrhage of the tissue adjacent to the holdfast, open lesions, severe necrosis and low haemoglobin levels. However, in older fish, death probably resulted from occlusion of the ventral aorta and/or branchial arteries. Sundnes (1970) found that fish <40 cm in length showed a significant decrease in condition factor and haematocrit values, whereas fish >40 cm showed no significant difference in condition between infected and uninfected fish, indicating that older fish are more able to cope with the infection. Mature parasites often protrude from the gills, preventing opercular closure and putting pressure on the surrounding area, leading to atrophy of sections of gill (Van den Broek, 1978). Adverse effects in whiting have been shown to include small localised sores, decreased liver lipid content, complete emaciation and death of the host (Van den Broek, 1978, 1979a). In cod, the early stages of L. branchialis infection induce local gill hyperplasia, large intravascular thrombus formation and a cellular immune response in cardiac and branchial tissues (Smith et al., 2007). It has been suggested by some authors that a decrease in haematocrit value and liver lipid content is an indication of a lower metabolic rate, which in turn may result in reduced swimming speed, increased susceptibility to predation and lower prey uptake (Van den Broek, 1978; Van Damme et al., 1994). Generally, cod parasitised with L. branchialis have a lower condition factor and growth rate than uninfected fish, especially in younger fish and those with multiple infections. Khan (1988) found that young cod around 33 cm in length and harbouring three or more parasites had a significantly lower condition factor than control fish after 4 weeks. In a different study (Khan and Lee, 1989), cod showed lower increments in body length and weight over a period of 10 months, with infected fish weighing up to 28% less than controls. However, after the first 10 months, infected fish gained weight at a comparable rate to controls and at 16 months, after the parasites had reproduced, no significant difference in weight was apparent. This indicates that although L. branchialis can significantly reduce condition and growth in cod, those fish that outlive the parasite may eventually catch up with uninfected fish. Adult cod infected with one or two parasites initially showed an increase in food consumption and weight gain compared with controls, although condition factor and food conversion efficiency were lower throughout the period of study (Khan, 1988; Khan and Lee, 1989). Presumably this compensates for the effect of the parasites, resulting in a transitory weight gain. Another study showed that this compensatory growth occurs through the consumption of more food in the autumn months rather than during the winter (Khan et al., 1993). A further explanation may be that resistance to L. branchialis

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infection is costly, in terms of growth and maturation, as Lysne et al. (2006) found that caged cod infected with one L. branchialis had a higher growth rate than fish that remained uninfected throughout the study period. There are several reports of abnormal behaviour of fish infected with L. branchialis. Khan (1988) noted that infected fish were hyperactive and swam in an erratic manner, remaining at the surface because of the excess air in the swim bladders. Sproston and Hartley (1941a) suggested that the parasites cause metabolic alterations resulting in abnormal uptake of fluid and that these fish may remain in low salinity estuarine environments. These behavioural abnormalities may increase the likelihood of predation or capture by fishing and can therefore have an impact on fish populations. Infection with L. branchialis has also been shown to affect gonadal maturation. According to Hislop and Shanks (1981), fecundity was 21% lower in infected haddock than in uninfected fish and Kabata (1958) found that infected female haddock had lower gonadal weights. Templeman et al. (1976) and Khan (1988) showed evidence that infection with L. branchialis delayed gonadal maturation in cod. In a study by Khan (1988), only 19% of fish infected with L. branchialis were sexually mature and only those fish with single infections were mature. In comparison, 64% of control fish were mature. In the wild populations, this delayed maturation and reduced fecundity could lead to changes in the population dynamics of the infected fish populations over time. This may be particularly pertinent for species such as cod which are under considerable current pressure as a result of overfishing. Although most studies have shown considerable pathogenicity of L. branchialis, some authors have reported only minimal changes (Khan and Lacey, 1986; Sherman and Wise, 1961; Sproston and Hartley, 1941a). It is likely that these differences can be attributed to the time of year that sampling took place. Older infected fish examined in the summer, around 10 months after infection, will have had time to adjust to the infection and any effects may not be readily apparent. It appears that infected fish show indications of chronic stress. Khan (1988) found that most infected fish 30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;60 cm in length, transported in tank trucks during the summer, died within 24 h. Mann (1952) reported that infected fish are less able to utilise oxygen and it could be assumed that these fish would be more likely to die than uninfected fish if oxygen was limited as their oxygen requirements would be higher. Sub-adult cod harbouring infections and exposed to low hydrocarbon concentrations were also more likely to die than uninfected fish (Khan, 1988). Additionally, it has been shown that fish harbouring secondary infections concurrent with L. branchialis are more likely to succumb (Khan and Lacey, 1986). Khan (1988) and Khan and Lacey (1986) infected sub-adult cod with dual

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infections of L. branchialis and a blood protozoan, Trypanosoma murmanensis Nikitin. About 60% of the sub-adult fish died and the surviving fish were emaciated to such an extent that their survival in a natural environment would be unlikely. Surviving fish had pale gills, significantly lower haemoglobin concentrations, condition factors and liver somatic indices than uninfected fish or those infected only with L. branchialis. With the chronic stress associated with L. branchialis infection, fish subjected to any form of secondary stress, such as disease infection or poor water quality, are unlikely to survive. Although adult L. branchialis have been shown to have a major effect on their definitive hosts, little or no adverse effects have been seen in hosts infected with the juvenile and pre-metamorphic stages of the parasite. Juvenile L. branchialis feed on the gill tips of the host, but do not penetrate the heart or blood vessels. Up to 700 larvae on flounder and over 26,000 larvae on lumpfish have been reported, but with no apparent ill-effects (Kabata, 1979; Templeman et al., 1976).

9. CONCLUDING REMARKS It is clear from the literature that L. branchialis is capable of severely affecting the health of gadoid fish, particularly juveniles, and is therefore likely to pose a considerable risk to the health of pressured and recovering wild gadoid populations and cultured gadoids. Factors that increase these risks include its high fecundity, wide distribution in northern coastal waters, and the considerable host impact of individual adult parasites. Despite the potential impact of this pathogen, there are numerous research areas that require more detailed examination. These include (1) hostâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;parasite interactions, both in terms of host immune responses and the immunomodulation of such responses by the parasite; (2) pathology and pathogenesis in intermediate and final hosts; (3) epidemiological studies, which are key to assessing the risks to fish populations associated with this pathogen and developing improved tools for management and control; (4) parasite behaviour and in particular host location and settlement behaviour and the cues that drive them; (5) population genetics studies, which may allow for the recognition of different populations and thereby reveal any existing differences in host preference, environmental optima and pathogenicity between genotypes; (6) physiological parameters, for example, feeding, digestion, respiration, etc.; (7) the development of management and control strategies including assessment of the efficacy of existing chemotherapeutants, for example, emamectin benzoate. In a situation where many wild gadoid fisheries are under increasing pressure, demand for these fish products remains high. As a result, the emerging gadoid culture industry is expanding rapidly to meet demand. Current technologies, however,

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largely favour the use of coastal sites where the likelihood of infection by this parasite is highest. There is therefore an urgent need to anticipate the health problems that infection by this parasite may engender and to develop contingency plans for the management and control of this widespread and potentially devastating pathogen.

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INDEX A ABH antigen expression, 6–7 geographic variations, 8 ABO alleles, balancing selection, 8 ABO blood group antigens, role in infections/cancer, 8 with molecules involved in RBC invasion pathways, 31–32 with RBC invasion pathways, 30 structure and synthesis, 6 system of human red blood cells (RBCs), 2 ABO histo-blood group antigens, 5–9 expression of, 7 nature of, 5–9 specificity of, 3 ABO phenotypes and malaria affinity for Anopheles gambiae, 27 cytoadherence, 36–39 inflammatory response, 28–29 invasion of RBCs, 29–35 of association between data analysis and, 4–5 experimental studies and, 3–4 placental malaria, 26–27 population genetics, 9–11 risk of infection, 11, 13, 15–19, 23–25 A, B and AB phenotypes vs. O, 12, 14 rosetting, 35–36 severe malaria, 20 Africa, 19–25 Asia and Pacific, 26 shared antigens, 27–28 AB phenotype protective against malaria, significant difference, 15–18 Acetyl-CoA synthetase (acetate thiokinase), 96 Acidotic breathing, 4 Actin filaments in E. histolytica, 115–116 Actin-rich cytoskeletal network in E. histolytica, 114 Action thresholds (ats), 209

Adaptive management plan, filariasis control, 229 Aedes, threshold biting value, 202 Aldehyde and alcohol dehydrogenases acetyl-CoA reduction, 96 Allelic frequency at ABO blood group locus, 8 Amino acid biosynthesis aminotransferases, 100 aspartate-asparagine, interconversion of, 106–107 glutamate and aspartate, 107 serine and cysteine, 105–106 Amino-terminal domain and C-terminal domains, Hgl subunits, 76 Amoebapores, 84 Anaphase promoting complex (APC), Entamoeba histolytica, 71 Aniline-hydroxylase (AH), 275–276 Annual DEC/ALBMDA regimen, on prevalence of filarial infection, 216, 218 Anopheles gambiae, 27 Anti-A and -B antibodies and bacterial infection, 9 Apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1), protein, 30 AP protein complex in E. histolytica, 124 Archaeal replication initiation, 71 Arf GTPases in COPI-coated vesicles formation, 122–123 Arginine degradation, 102–103 Arp2/3 complex polymerisation- promoting factor in E. histolytica genome, 115 Aryl hydrocarbon hydrolase (AHH), 245 Asparagine-linked glycans (N-glycans) in Entamoeba, 129–131 complex of, 132–133 protein folding quality control in, 131–132 Aspartate and asparagine, degradation of, 100–101 A2 subtype of allele, 10–11 A. thaliana, 120 Autophagy, 83

343

344

Index

B Bacterial cystitis and schistosomiasis, 247 B allele distribution, 10 B antigen among Asians, 8 Bcl-2 gene expression in colorectal cancer, 254 in schistosome-associated cancer, 249 Bile duct cancer and O. viverrini infection, 260, 262 Bilharziasis see Schistosomiasis Bladder cancer, S. haematobium induced b-glucuronidase level, 247 cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme expression, 249–250 gene overexpression, 249 N-nitrosamines role in, 245–246 occurrence of, 242–243 ras oncogene and p53 mutations, 248 Blood feeding behaviour of L. branchialis, 318–320 Bombay phenotype, 6 B/O phenotypes, susceptibility of bacterial infections, 11 Branched-chain amino acid metabolism, 104 BspA-like proteins E. histolytica, 63 Treponema pallidum LRR (TpLRR) subfamily, 62 Buccal tube of L. branchialis, 308 Bulbus arteriosus in L. branchialis, 301 C Caenorhabditis elegans, 120 Calcium binding proteins (CaBPs) in E. histolytica, 141–142 Caligus elongatus, 305, 314 Caligus minimus, 312 Calreticulin (CRT), 132 Carcinogenesis cestodes role in, 278–279 mechanisms of, 277–284 sequence of, 244–245 trematoda infection role in C. sinensis, 267–273 F. hepatica, 273–277 O. viverrini, 260–267 S. haematobium, 241–251 S. japonicum, 255–260 S. mansoni, 251–255 Cardiodectes medusaeus, 319 CARMIL adapter protein, 117–118

CD36 in platelets, expression A antigen, 37 CDKs in S. cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, 71 serine/threonine family of kinases, 72 C3d on RBC fixation, cold agglutinins, 28 Cell cycle genes analysis, Entamoeba histolytica CDKs and cyclins, 71–72 chromosome segregation and cell division, 71 DNA replication initiation and DNA duplication, 70–71 Cell surface carbohydrates, primary receptors, 9 Cerebral malaria, 19, 26, 30, 35 Cervical cancer and S. mansoni association, 252 Cestodes role in carcinogenesis, 278–279 Chemotherapy role in schistosomiasis control, 251 Chitin fibrils in Entamoeba cyst wall, 143–145 Chitosan in Entamoeba, 143 Cholangiocarcinoma C. sinensis infection, 268–270, 272 F. hepatica infection, 273–274 O. viverrini infection, 260 Chondroitin sulphate A (CSA), 36 Chromosomal imbalances and bilharzial-associated bladder cancer, 248 Chromosome segregation and cell divison, 71 Circulating filarial antigen (CFA), 218 Clathrin-coated vesicles and adaptor proteins in E. histolytica, 123–124 in vesicular trafficking, 119–120 Clonorchis sinensis, 240–241, 283 carcinogenesis by, 267–273 life cycle, 267 CMyc gene mutation in S. mansoni-infected colorectal cancer, 254 Coatomer protein (COP) in vesicular trafficking, 119–120 Cochrane library database, 4 Colon cancer and S. japonicum association, 255 Colonic inflammatory pseudopolyposis in S. mansoni infection, 252 Colorectal cancer and S. japonicum association, 256–258 S. mansoni induced, 252

Index

Comparative genomic hybridisations (CGH) analyses in Entamoeba, 158, 162–163 Coombs antiglobulin reactions, in malaria patients, 28 COPI and COPII-coated vesicles in E. histolytica vesicle formation, 120–123 Cryptosporidium parvum, 283 Cyclin D1 overexpression in bladder carcinogenesis, 249 Cyclin homologues, 72 Cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme expression in bladder cancer, 249–250 Cyclopterus lumpus, 322 8-Cys chitin-binding domain (CBD), 145 Cysteine endopeptidases EhCP-A and EhCP-B subfamilies, 84 family C2-, C19-, C54- and C65-like, 82 family C1-like, 79–81 lytic activity of Entamoeba histolytica, 77 D Dantu and S-s-U- phenotypes, 33 DBL-a, affinity for A blood group, 36 DEC/ALB annual Mass Drug Administration (MDA) regimen, 214 Decision theory, optimal decision in parasite control, 227 Dicentrarchus labrax, 312 Dictyostelium discoideum genome of, 57 loss of introns in, 64 protein length distribution in, 65 rDNA in, 59 DNA microarray analyses in E. histolytica, 158, 160, 163 DNA replication initiation, E.histolytica replicative helicases, binding of, 70 Drosophila melanogaster, 120 Drug-metabolizing enzymes, S. haematobium infection effects, 245–246 Duffy-binding-like (DBL) proteins, 33 E Echinostoma caproni, 281 E. dispar, 163–164 Effective monitoring and evaluation programme, major components, 195 Egg strings and egg-string attachments in L. branchialis, 317–318 ehapt1, polyadenylated transcript, 62

345

EhLINEs open reading frame (ORF) of, 61 properties of, 60 EhRab7A protein role, 126 EhSINEs (E. histolytica SINE) nonautonomous, non-LTR retrotransposons, 61 E. invadens chitin deacetylases in, 143 cyst wall, 146–147 Elongation factor (EF)–1 and EF2, eukaryotic translation, 69 Embryonic development in L. branchialis, 316–317 Endemic malaria, 9 Energy metabolism, Entamoeba histolytica see also Entamoeba histolytica aldoses, anomerisation of, 99 fructose and galactose activation, 98 glycogen metabolism, 97–98 glycolysis, 92–97 hexoses and pentoses, interconversion of, 99 pentoses, activation of, 99 Entamoeba histolytica aldoses, anomerisation of, 99 amino acid biosynthesis in, 105–107 degradation in, 100–104 amoebapores in, 84 antioxidant system in, 88–92 arginine degradation in, 102–103 aspartate and asparagine, degradation of, 100–101 autophagins in, 83 branched-chain amino acid metabolism in, 104 calcium binding proteins, 141–142 cell division cycle (CDC) 20 homologues in, 71 chitinases in, 145 chitin synthase 2 (EhChs2), 143 chitin synthases in, 143 cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) subunits in, 74 cysteine endopeptidases and lytic activity, 77 cytoskeletal components actin and microfilament proteins, 114–116 molecular transporters, 117–119 tubulins and microtubules, 116–117

346

Index

Entamoeba histolytica (cont.) cytosolic kinases, 138–139 dual-specificity protein phosphatases (DSP) in, 137–138 dynein in, 118 family C1-like cysteine endopeptidases of, 79–82 fatty acid biosynthesis, 109–110 fermentation in, 96 ferredoxin genes, 96 folatedependent enzymes and folate transporters, 112 fructose and galactose activation, 98 Gal/GalNAc lectin, 75 genome partitioning and cell division regulation in, 72 genome structure cytoskeletal components role in, 114–119 encystation, 143–147 future perspectives, 163–164 lateral gene transfer (LGT), 147–158 microarray-based analyses of, 158–163 glucose transport activity in, 113–114 glutamate and glutamine degradation in, 103 glutamine synthase, phylogenetic relationships, 157 glycogen metabolism, 97–98 glycolysis, 92–97 hexoses and pentoses, interconversion of, 99 kinases in, 138–141 lipid metabolism, 107–112 Mec 1 and Mrc 1 homologues in, 71 metabolism, biochemical analysis of, 92 methionine, homocysteine and cysteine, degradation of, 101–102 mitosome in, 142 nucleic acid metabolism, 113 pathogenicity of, 75 pentoses, activation of, 99 phosphatases in, 134–138 phosphofructokinase activity in, 93 phosphopantothenoyl-cysteine decarboxylase activity, 112 synthetase activity, 112 polyamine metabolism, 104–105 polyisoprene biosynthesis and protein prenylation, 107–109 pyruvate/ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR), 95

RNA polymerase II transcription in, 72 serine and threonine, degradation of, 101 S-phase and mitosis in, absence of, 72 stress sensitive protein 1, 63 thiol-dependent proteolytic activity in, 78 thioredoxins and thioredoxin reductase, 91 tryptophan and alanine, degradation of, 103 tryptophanase, phylogenetic relationships, 159 vesicular trafficking in complexity of, 119–120 protein folding and glycosylation, 129–134 proteins in vesicle formation, 120–124 Rab proteins complexity, 128–129 vesicle fusion, proteins, 124–128 Entamoeba histolytica genome alcohol dehydrogenase ADH3 genes in, 97 aldehyde and alcohol dehydrogenases encoding, 96 anaphase promoting complex (APC) in, 71 BspA-like proteins of, 62 CDK encoding in, 72 cell cycle genes, analysis of, 70–72 cell division cycle (CDC) 20 homologues in, 71 checkpoint genes, absence of, 72 core promoter of, 73 C-terminal domains (CTD) of, 73, 74 cysteine endopeptidase genes in, 78 cytoplasmic thioredoxins in, 90 E. histolytica stress sensitive protein (Ehssp) 1, 63 EhSINEs in, 61–62 episomes, 58 ethanolamine-phosphate cytidylyltransferases encoding in, 110 gene number in, 63 gene structure and gene size, 64–66 Hgl subunit, 72–73 iron-sulphur flavoproteins (families B-D) in, 91 karyotype and chromosome structure, 56–58 loci in, 75 long interspersed elements (LINEs), 59–61

Index

mRNAs in, 74 polyadenylated transcript (UEE1), 62 polypeptide release factors in, 69 protein family (Pfam) domains of, 66 protein length distribution in, 65–66 putative saposinlike proteins (SAPLIPs) genes, coding for, 84 ribosomal protein genes in, 69 ribosomal RNA genes, 58 rRNA methylases and tRNA synthetases in, 69 sequencing, assembly and annotation process, 55 tRNA genes, 58, 69 tRNA protein-coding genes, 59 untranslated region (UTR) and acidic basic region (ABR), 63 Entamoeba histolytica genome project, 54 Entamoeba histolytica, glycolysis hexokinase, 93 phosphofructokinase activity in, 93 phosphoglyceratemutase, 94–95 triose-phosphate isomerase, 94 Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites antioxidant enzymes for reactive oxygen or nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) removal in, 88 peroxiredoxins in, 90 Environmental modifications in schistosomiasis control, 251 Epidermal growth factor (EGF), 139 EPIFIL model filariasis transmission, 207, 210, 214, 217, 219 predictions of rate of decline of microfilaria, 210 Episomes, 58 ER-associated degradation (ERAD), 132 Erythrocyte expression, 7 Escherichia coli, 247 Ethylmorphine-N-dimethylase (EMD), 275–276 Eukaryotic translation elongation factor (EF)–1 activation, 69 F Fasciola hepatica and carcinogenesis, 273–277 Fatty acid biosynthesis fatty acid elongases, 110 fatty acid synthase complex, 109 Filariasis control programmes

347

monitoring and evaluation, 195–200 Filariasis transmission, predictions of mathematical model, 205 Folate-dependent enzymes and folate transporters, 112 Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, 93–94 a1–2-Fucosyltransferase, 5 G Gadus morhua, 298, 322 Gal/GalNAc lectin conservation of subunits, 77 E. histolytica adherence, 75 heavy (Hgl) subunit in, 75–76 intermediate (Igl) subunit in, 76–77 light (Lgl) subunit in, 76 Gal/GalNAc lectins in Entamoeba trophozoites, role, 145–146 General transcription factor (GTF), 73 Gene size, Entamoeba histolytica introns positions in, 64 Geographic information system (GIS), 212 Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, 3 Glucosidase (Gls2), 132 b-Glucuronidase and bladder cancer, 247 Glutamate and glutamine degradation in, 103 Glutathione-S-transferase (GST), 245 Glycans, overlapping roles, 9 Glycophorin receptor elements, 33 sugar components present, 33–34 Gongylonema neoplastica, 240 GPC variant Gerbich phenotype (Ge-2,–3), 33 Group AB, geometric mean rosetting rate, 26 Group O individuals exposed to malaria, anti-A and anti-B titre, 28 H Haemoglobins S, C and E, 3 Haemolytic anaemia, 28 H antigen on RBCs, Bantu, 11 structure, 5–6 HAT complexes see Histone acetyltransferase complexes H blood groups, 9

348

Index

Heavy subunit (Hgl subunit) amino-terminal domain and C-terminal domain of, 76 loci in, 75 Helicobacter pylori (O), phenotype, 8 Helminth infections role in carcinogenesis cestoidea, 278–279 Clonorchis sinensis, 267–273 Fasciola hepatica, 273–277 historical perspectives, 240–241 nematoda, 279 Opisthorchis viverrini, 260–267 Schistosoma haematobium bladder cancer, 242–249 malignancies, 250 Schistosoma japonicum, 255–259 Schistosoma mansoni, 251–255 Hepatocellular carcinoma and O. viverrini infection, 260 by S. japonicum infection, 256–257 Hexokinase and glycolysis, 93 Histone acetyltransferase complexes, 74 HM-1:IMSS, Entamoeba histolytica strain identification for genome project, 55 oligonucleotide microarray and, 160 H2O2-Detoxifying proteins see Peroxiredoxins Homo sapiens, 120 Hypothetical utility table, 228 I Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), 38 Interferon- g (IFN-g), 28 Intermediate subunit (Igl subunit) co-purification of, 76 loci and amino acid sequences in, 77 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), study in cancer C. sinensis, 273 O. viverrini, 267 S. haematobium, 240, 243, 250 S. japonicum, 256–257, 259 S. mansoni, 252–253, 255 J Jacob lectins in Entamoeba cyst wall, 145 K Karyotype and chromosome structure, Entamoeba histolytica, 56–58

Kinesin in E. histolytica, 118–119 Klebsiella sp., 247 L Lateral gene transfer (LGT), 147 Leach type RBCs (Ge-2,–3), 33 Leiomyosarcoma of uterus and S. mansoni association, 252 Leishmania donovani (ABO), phenotype, 8 Leishmania major, 128 Lepeophtheirus salmonis, 312, 320 Lernaeocera branchialis, 298 adult stage definitive hosts infection of, 310 metamorphosis, 312–314 morphology, 307–308 mouth of, 308–309 anatomical and morphological characteristics, 300–301 chalimus stage, 304–307 copepodid stage, 303–304 copulating behaviour, 315–316 definitive hosts of, 310–311 feeding behaviour of, 318–320 females, fecundity in, 317 geographical distribution, 321–323 and host prevalence, 322–327 infective symptoms, 332–334 intermediate hosts of, 305 life cycle adult stage, 307–314 chalimus stages, 304–307 copepodid stages, 303–304 nauplius stages, 301–303 male competition in, 316 mating behaviour in, 314–315 pathogenicity, 332–335 physiological characteristics, 318–320 prevalence and intensity of, 323–327 prevalence, environmental factors, 323 reproductive processes, 314–318 seasonal distribution, 328–332 taxonomical classification, 299–300 Lernaeocera sp., 299 Leucine rich repeats (LRRs) in E. histolytica, 138 Leucine-rich tandem repeats (LRR), Treponema pallidum LRR (TpLRR) subfamily, 62 Lewis blood group (Le), 39 Light subunit (Lgl subunit), 76 Limanda limanda, 310

Index

Lipid metabolism lipid biosynthetic capabilities, 107–110 Liver cancer C. sinensis infection, 267–268 F. hepatica infection, 273–274 and opisthorchiasis, 260 S. japonicum infection, 255–258 S. mansoni, 252 Liver duct cancer and O. viverrini infection, 260 Logistic regression model, threshold parameter, 207 Long interspersed elements (LINEs) in E. histolytica genome, 59 subtypes of, 59 Lymphatic filariasis, potential objectives of interventions against, 199, 205 M Malaria endemicity, 10 Male reproductive system in L. branchialis, 318 Mass DEC programme in Tanzania, filariasis elimination, 211 Mass Drug Administration (MDA), 203, 219 Mastomys natalensis, 253 Mathematical models, 196 cost-effective monitoring tools for assessing filariasis control, 224–226 and diagnostic accuracy of indicators for monitoring filariasis control, 216–218 in parasite monitoring programmes, 197–198 and sampling for parasite monitoring, 220–224 selecting appropriate monitoring indicators, 218–220 Mcm proteins see Minichromosome maintenance proteins MEDLINE database, 4 Melanogrammus aeglefinus, 299 Merlangius merlangus, 310, 322 Merozoite ligands, 33 Merozoite surface proteins (MSPs), 29 Methionine, homocysteine and cysteine, degradation of, 101–102 Metrifonate in schistosomiasis control, 251 Microarray-detection in Entamoeba genes, 162–163 Microfilament proteins in E. histolytica, 114

349

Microfilaria prevalence elimination threshold, 205, 213 Microstomus kitt, 303 Microtubules (MTs) in E. histolytica, 116 Minichromosome maintenance proteins, 70 Mitosomal proteins in E. histolytica, encoding genes, 142 Model null alleles, 8 Models and quantifying intervention endpoint targets disease control targets, 203–208 parasite elimination endpoints, 198–202 vector infection thresholds, 202–203 Mosquito population, 200, 222, 224 Mutation-drift balance, 7–8 Myosin family of molecular motors in E. histolytica, 117–118 Myosin IB in E. histolytica, 118 N Nauplius stage in L. branchialis, 301–303 Nematodes role in carcinogenesis, 279 N-Ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) in E. histolytica, 127 Nitrosamine-N-dimethylase (NA), 275–276 N-Nitrosodimethylamine (DMN), 276–277 N-Nnitrosodimethylamine-N-demethylase (NDMA), 245 Non-functional O allele, 8 Nucleic acid metabolism, 113 Nucleotide-sugar transporter (NST), 133 O O allele distribution, 10 Oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), 130 O phenotype in Gambian, protective effect associated, 15 O-phosphodiester-linkage (O-P glycans) in E. histolytica, 133–134 Opisthorchis viverrini, 239–241, 279, 281 carcinogenesis, 260–261 diagnosis and treatment, 262–267 life cycle of, 260 P Parasitaemia and blood group O, 15 Parasite monitoring, models and sampling estimation or hypothesis testing, 220–221 statistical power, parasite monitoring programmes, 221–223

350

Index

Parasite monitoring, models and sampling (cont.) target population size and spatial infection patterns, 223–224 Parasite population control, 209 decision theory and, 227 essential properties of indicators for monitoring, 215 programme management, 225 programmes, types of monitoring, 196 Parasite spatial distribution, implication, 213 Parasite transmission model, central role, 197 Pasteurella pestis (O), phenotype, 8 Pennellidae, 299 Peroxiredoxins, 90 PFOR see Pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase p53 gene mutation in S. haematobium-induced bladder cancer, 248–250 in S. mansoni-infected colorectal cancer, 254 Phosphofructokinases, 93 Phosphoglycerate kinase, 94–95 Phospholipase activity, 111–112 Phospholipid biosynthesis, 110–111 degradation, 111–112 PI-specific phospholipases, 112 Phosphopantothenoyl-cysteine decarboxylase activity, 112 synthetase activity, 112 Phusion assembler and genome fragments, 55 p16INK4 and p15INKB genes as tumour suppressors, 249 Placental P. falciparum parasitaemia, 26 Plasmodium falciparum, 163 erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (Pf EMP1), 35–36 gene structure (introns), 64 malaria, 3 malaria in Gabonese school children, 15 prevalence by ABO phenotype, risk of infection, 12 Platichthys flesus, 303, 322 Pleuronectes sp., 310 Polyisoprene biosynthesis and protein prenylation, 107–109 Polypeptide release factors, 69 Population correction factor (FPC), 222–223

Positive predictive value (PPV), 216 PP2A, PP2B and PP2C phosphatases in E. histolytica, 136– Praziquantel therapy in schistosomiasis and opisthorchiasis control, 251, 264, 266 Pre-replicative complex (pre-RC) formation, 70 Prostate cancer and S. mansoni association, 252 Protein-coding genes as probes, 59 Protein disulphide isomerase (PDI), 132 Protein family (Pfam) domains, Entamoeba histolytica Rab and Rho families, 66 Protein tyrosine phosphatase like protein (PTPLA) E. histolytica, 137 Proteus mirabilis, 247 Protistan class I myosins, 117–118 Pseudomonas aeruginosa (A), phenotype, 8 Putative LGT, 147–148 P. vivax, 29 Pyruvate/ferredoxin oxidoreductase, 95 R Rab protein in E. histolytica, 124–127, 128 Random-effects model (REM), 5 RBL protein family, 33 Receptor serine/ threonine kinases (RSK) in E. histolytica, 139–140 Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), 139 Renal and rectal carcinoma and S. mansoni association, 252 Replicative helicase binding, 70 Respiratory behaviour in L. branchialis, 320 Reticulocyte-binding-like (RBL) protein, 33 Ribosomal protein genes, 58, 69 RNA polymerase II transcription, E. histolytica a-amanitin binding site and, 72 core promoter, 73 RNA polymerase subunits in, 73 TBP associated factors (TAFs) in, 74 Rosetting, 4, 26, 35–36, 40 rRNA genes see Ribosomal RNA genes Rubrerythrin, 89–90 S Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 120 CDC28 gene in, 71 gene for large subunit protein L41, 69 genome of, 57

Index

protein length distribution in, 65 RNA polymerase core, 73 transporters of, 113 Salmonella paratyphi, 247 Salmonella typhi (B), phenotype, 8 Salmonella typhimurium, 259 Salmo salar, 312 Saposinlike proteins (SAPLIPs) amoebapores in, 87–88 attributes of, 85–87 Entamoeba histolytica, 84 membrane fusion in vitro in, 88 Sar1 GTPase in vesicle formation, 120–122 Schistosoma haematobium, 240–241, 250–252, 256, 282–283 induced bladder cancer, 242–249 Schistosoma japonicum, 241, 259, 282 cancers caused by diagnosis of, 257–258 mortalities caused, 256 Schistosoma mansoni, 241, 251 cancers caused by, 252 treatment of, 253–255 Schistosome-induced carcinogenesis, sequence, 244–245 Schistosomiasis control of, 251 induced bladder cancer b-glucuronidase level role in, 247 cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme expression, 249–250 gene overexpression, 249 N-nitrosamines role in, 245–246 occurrence of, 241–243 ras oncogene and p53 mutations, 248 malignancies, 250 Sec13p-Sec31p and Sec23p-Sec24p complex in vesicle formation, 120 Secretion-associated Ras-related protein (Sar), 120 Secretion-borne antigens, 6–7 Serine and threonine, degradation of, 101 Serine/threonine kinases (STKs), 138 Serine/threonine protein phosphatases in E. histolytica, 135 Severe malaria, 4, 19, 26, 29, 38 Sheep liver fluke disease see Fasciola hepatica Short tandem repeat number, in genes, 59 Sialic acid invasion pathways, 29–34 in ligand recognition by selectins, 38

351

SINEs nonautonomous, non-LTR retrotransposons, 61 Snail fever see Schistosomiasis SNARE proteins in E. histolytica, 127–128 Solea solea, 310 Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE), 120 Soluble NSF attachment protein (SNAP) in E. histolytica, 127 Southeast Asian ovalocytosis, 3, 30 Spatial heterogeneity in infection, 213 Spermatozoon ultrastructure in L. branchialis, 318 Sperm competition in L. branchialis, 316 S-phase checkpoint genes, 71 Spirometra sp., 240, 282 Squamous cell carcinoma, 242, 247, 249, 273, 279 and schistosomal late-stage infection, 243–244 Src-homology 2 (SH2), 139 Staphlococcus sp., 247 Strongyloides stercoralis, 283 Sugar catabolism, Entamoeba histolytica fructose and galactose, activation of, 98–99 hexoses and pentoses, interconversion of, 99 Superoxide dismutases, 88 Suppressor of cAMP-receptor (SCAR), 115 T Taenia taeniaeformis, 282 TATA-binding protein (TBP), 73 TBP associated factors, 74 T. brucei, 128, 163 T. cruzi, 128 Thalassiosira and E. histolytica, gene relationship, 148 Thioredoxins and thioredoxin reductase, 91 Threshold annual vector biting density, 200 TNF-a:IL-10 ratio, 29 Transitional cell carcinoma, 242 Translation-related proteins, 69 Trans-species inheritance of ABO polymorphism, 8 Trematoda infection role in carcinogenesis C. sinensis, 267–273 F. hepatica, 273–277 O. viverrini, 260–267 S. haematobium, 241–251

352

Index

Trematoda infection role in carcinogenesis (cont.) S. japonicum, 255–260 S. mansoni, 251–255 Trichomonas vaginalis and E. histolytica, gene relationship, 148 Trichuris suis, 281 Triose-phosphate isomerase, 94 tRNA genes array organisation of, 58 protein-coding genes, 59 short tandem repeats, 59 Trypanosoma cruzi, 128 Trypanosoma murmanensis, 335 Tryptophan and alanine, degradation of, 103 Tumour-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), 28 Tumour suppression, genes role, 249 Tyrosine kinases (TKs), 139 Tyrosine phosphatases (PTP) in E. histolytica, 137 U UDP-glucose-dependent glucosyltransferase (UGGT), 131 UEE1, polyadenylated transcript, 62 Urinary stasis, schistosome-induced, 247

V Vector biting thresholds, 198 Vesicle formation, proteins in, 120–124 Vesicle fusion, proteins in, 124–128 Vesicular trafficking in Entamoeba complexity of, 119–120 protein folding and glycosylation, 129–134 proteins in vesicle formation, 120–124 Rab proteins complexity, 128–129 vesicle fusion, proteins, 124–128 von Willebrand factor (vWF), 38 W Wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA), 39 Whole genome short oligonucleotide microarray in E. histolytica, 161 Whole genome shotgun approach, 55 Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP), 115 Worm break points, 198, 202 see also Models and quantifying intervention endpoint targets Wuchereria bancrofti, 201, 204, 206

CONTENTS OF VOLUMES IN THIS SERIES Volume 41 Drug Resistance in Malaria Parasites of Animals and Man W. Peters Molecular Pathobiology and Antigenic Variation of Pneumocystis carinii Y. Nakamura and M. Wada Ascariasis in China P. Weidono, Z. Xianmin and D.W.T. Crompton The Generation and Expression of Immunity to Trichinella spiralis in Laboratory Rodents R.G. Bell Population Biology of Parasitic Nematodes: Application of Genetic Markers T.J.C. Anderson, M.S. Blouin and R.M. Brech Schistosomiasis in Cattle J. De Bont and J. Vercruysse

Volume 42 The Southern Cone Initiative Against Chagas Disease C.J. Schofield and J.C.P. Dias Phytomonas and Other Trypanosomatid Parasites of Plants and Fruit E.P. Camargo Paragonimiasis and the Genus Paragonimus D. Blair, Z.-B. Xu, and T. Agatsuma Immunology and Biochemistry of Hymenolepis diminuta J. Anreassen, E.M. Bennet-Jenkins, and C. Bryant Control Strategies for Human Intestinal Nematode Infections

M. Albonico, D.W.T. Cromption, and L. Savioli DNA Vaocines: Technology and Applications as Anti-parasite and Anti-microbial Agents J.B. Alarcon, G.W. Wainem and D.P. McManus

Volume 43 Genetic Exchange in the Trypanosomatidae W. Gibson and J. Stevens The Host-Parasite Relationship in Neosporosis A. Hemphill Proteases of Protozoan Parasites P.J. Rosenthal Proteinases and Associated Genes of Parasitic Helminths J. Tort, P.J. Brindley, D. Knox, K.H. Wolfe, and J.P. Dalton Parasitic Fungi and their Interaction with the Insect Immune System A. Vilcinskas and P. GoÂ¨tz

Volume 44 Cell Biology of Leishmania B. Handman Immunity and Vaccine Development in the Bovine Theilerioses N. Boulter and R. Hall The Distribution of Schistosoma bovis Sonaino, 1876 in Relation to Intermediate Host Mollusc-Parasite Relationships H. MoneÂ´, G. Mouahid, and S. Morand

353

354

Contents of Volumes in This Series

The Larvae of Monogenea (Platyhelminthes) I.D. Whittington, L.A. Chisholm, and K. Rohde Sealice on Salmonids: Their Biology and Control A.W. Pike and S.L. Wadsworth

Volume 45 The Biology of some Intraerythrocytic Parasites of Fishes, Amphibia and Reptiles A.J. Davies and M.R.L. Johnston The Range and Biological Activity of FMR Famide-related Peptides and Classical Neurotransmitters in Nematodes D. Brownlee, L. Holden-Dye, and R. Walker The Immunobiology of Gastrointestinal Nematode Infections in Ruminants A. Balic, V.M. Bowles, and E.N.T. Meeusen

Satellites, Space, Time and the African Trypanosomiases D.J. Rogers Earth Observation, Geographic Information Systems and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa S.I. Hay, J. Omumbo, M. Craig, and R.W. Snow Ticks and Tick-borne Disease Systems in Space and from Space S.E. Randolph The Potential of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing in the Epidemiology and Control of Human Helminth Infections S. Brooker and E. Michael Advances in Satellite Remote Sensing of Environmental Variables for Epidemiological Applications S.J. Goetz, S.D. Prince, and J. Small

Volume 46

Forecasting Diseases Risk for Increased Epidemic Preparedness in Public Health M.F. Myers, D.J. Rogers, J. Cox, A. Flauhalt, and S.I. Hay

Host-Parasite Interactions in Acanthocephala: A Morphological Approach H. Taraschewski

Education, Outreach and the Future of Remote Sensing in Human Health B.L. Woods, L.R. Beck, B.M. Lobitz, and M.R. Bobo

Eicosanoids in Parasites and Parasitic Infections A. Daugschies and A. Joachim

Volume 48

Volume 47 An Overview of Remote Sensing and Geodesy for Epidemiology and Public Health Application S.I. Hay Linking Remote Sensing, Land Cover and Disease P.J. Curran, P.M. Atkinson, G.M. Foody, and E.J. Milton Spatial Statistics and Geographic Information Systems in Epidemiology and Public Health T.P. Robinson

The Molecular Evolution of Trypanosomatidae J.R. Stevens, H.A. Noyes, C.J. Schofield, and W. Gibson Transovarial Transmission in the Microsporidia A.M. Dunn, R.S. Terry, and J.E. Smith Adhesive Secretions in the Platyhelminthes I.D. Whittington and B.W. Cribb The Use of Ultrasound in Schistosomiasis C.F.R. Hatz Ascaris and Ascariasis D.W.T. Crompton

Contents of Volumes in This Series

Volume 49

Volume 52

Antigenic Variation in Trypanosomes: Enhanced Phenotypic Variation in a Eukaryotic Parasite H.D. Barry and R. McCulloch

The Ecology of Fish Parasites with Particular Reference to Helminth Parasites and their Salmonid Fish Hosts in Welsh Rivers: A Review of Some of the Central Questions J.D. Thomas

The Epidemiology and Control of Human African Trypanosomiasis J. Pe´pin and H.A. Me´da Apoptosis and Parasitism: from the Parasite to the Host Immune Response G.A. DosReis and M.A. Barcinski Biology of Echinostomes Except Echinostoma B. Fried

355

Biology of the Schistosome Genus Trichobilharzia P. Hora´k, L. Kola´rova´, and C.M. Adema The Consequences of Reducing Transmission of Plasmodium falciparum in Africa R.W. Snow and K. Marsh

The Malaria-Infected Red Blood Cell: Structural and Functional Changes B.M. Cooke, N. Mohandas, and R.L. Coppel

Cytokine-Mediated Host Responses during Schistosome Infections: Walking the Fine Line Between Immunological Control and Immunopathology K.F. Hoffmann, T.A. Wynn, and D.W. Dunne

Schistosomiasis in the Mekong Region: Epidemiology and Phytogeography S.W. Attwood

Volume 53

Volume 50

Molecular Aspects of Sexual Development and Reproduction in Nematodes and Schistosomes P.R. Boag, S.E. Newton, and R.B. Gasser

Interactions between Tsetse and Trypanosomes with Implications for the Control of Trypanosomiasis S. Aksoy, W.C. Gibson, and M.J. Lehane

Antiparasitic Properties of Medicinal Plants and Other Naturally Occurring Products S. Tagboto and S. Townson

Enzymes Involved in the Biogenesis of the Nematode Cuticle A.P. Page and A.D. Winter

Volume 51

Diagnosis of Human Filariases (Except Onchocerciasis) M. Walther and R. Muller

Aspects of Human Parasites in which Surgical Intervention May Be Important D.A. Meyer and B. Fried

Volume 54

Electron-transfer Complexes in Ascaris Mitochondria K. Kita and S. Takamiya Cestode Parasites: Application of In Vivo and In Vitro Models for Studies of the Host-Parasite Relationship M. Siles-Lucas and A. Hemphill

Introduction – Phylogenies, Phylogenetics, Parasites and the Evolution of Parasitism D.T.J. Littlewood Cryptic Organelles in Parasitic Protists and Fungi B.A.P. Williams and P.J. Keeling

356

Contents of Volumes in This Series

Phylogenetic Insights into the Evolution of Parasitism in Hymenoptera J.B. Whitfield Nematoda: Genes, Genomes and the Evolution of Parasitism M.L. Blaxter Life Cycle Evolution in the Digenea: A New Perspective from Phylogeny T.H. Cribb, R.A. Bray, P.D. Olson, and D.T.J. Littlewood Progress in Malaria Research: The Case for Phylogenetics S.M. Rich and F.J. Ayala Phylogenies, the Comparative Method and Parasite Evolutionary Ecology S. Morand and R. Poulin Recent Results in Cophylogeny Mapping M.A. Charleston Inference of Viral Evolutionary Rates from Molecular Sequences A. Drummond, O.G. Pybus, and A. Rambaut Detecting Adaptive Molecular Evolution: Additional Tools for the Parasitologist J.O. McInerney, D.T.J. Littlewood, and C.J. Creevey

Volume 55 Contents of Volumes 28–52 Cumulative Subject Indexes for Volumes 28–52 Contributors to Volumes 28–52

Volume 56 Glycoinositolphospholipid from Trypanosoma cruzi: Structure, Biosynthesis and Immunobiology J.O. Previato, R. Wait, C. Jones, G.A. DosReis, A.R. Todeschini, N. Heise and L.M. Previata Biodiversity and Evolution of the Myxozoa E.U. Canning and B. Okamura

The Mitochondrial Genomics of Parasitic Nematodes of Socio-Economic Importance: Recent Progress, and Implications for Population Genetics and Systematics M. Hu, N.B. Chilton, and R.B. Gasser The Cytoskeleton and Motility in Apicomplexan Invasion R.E. Fowler, G. Margos, and G.H. Mitchell

Volume 57 Canine Leishmaniasis J. Alvar, C. Can˜avate, R. Molina, J. Moreno, and J. Nieto Sexual Biology of Schistosomes H. Mone´ and J. Boissier Review of the Trematode Genus Ribeiroia (Psilostomidae): Ecology, Life History, and Pathogenesis with Special Emphasis on the Amphibian Malformation Problem P.T.J. Johnson, D.R. Sutherland, J.M. Kinsella and K.B. Lunde The Trichuris muris System: A Paradigm of Resistance and Susceptibility to Intestinal Nematode Infection L.J. Cliffe and R.K. Grencis Scabies: New Future for a Neglected Disease S.F. Walton, D.C. Holt, B.J. Currie, and D.J. Kemp

Volume 58 Leishmania spp.: On the Interactions they Establish with Antigen-Presenting Cells of their Mammalian Hosts J.-C. Antoine, E. Prina, N. Courret, and T. Lang Variation in Giardia: Implications for Taxonomy and Epidemiology R.C.A. Thompson and P.T. Monis Recent Advances in the Biology of Echinostoma species in the ‘‘revolutum’’ Group B. Fried and T.K. Graczyk

Contents of Volumes in This Series

Human Hookworm Infection in the 21st Century S. Brooker, J. Bethony, and P.J. Hotez The Curious Life-Style of the Parasitic Stages of Gnathiid Isopods N.J. Smit and A.J. Davies

Volume 59 Genes and Susceptibility to Leishmaniasis Emanuela Handman, Colleen Elso, and Simon Foote Cryptosporidium and Cryptosporidiosis R.C.A. Thompson, M.E. Olson, G. Zhu, S. Enomoto, Mitchell S. Abrahamsen and N.S. Hijjawi Ichthyophthirius multifiliis Fouquet and Ichthyophthiriosis in Freshwater Teleosts R.A. Matthews Biology of the Phylum Nematomorpha B. Hanelt, F. Thomas, and A. SchmidtRhaesa

Volume 60 Sulfur-Containing Amino Acid Metabolism in Parasitic Protozoa Tomoyoshi Nozaki, Vahab Ali, and Masaharu Tokoro The Use and Implications of Ribosomal DNA Sequencing for the Discrimination of Digenean Species Matthew J. Nolan and Thomas H. Cribb

357

Volume 61 Control of Human Parasitic Diseases: Context and Overview David H. Molyneux Malaria Chemotherapy Peter Winstanley and Stephen Ward Insecticide-Treated Nets Jenny Hill, Jo Lines, and Mark Rowland Control of Chagas Disease Yoichi Yamagata and Jun Nakagawa Human African Trypanosomiasis: Epidemiology and Control E.M. Fe`vre, K. Picozzi, J. Jannin, S.C. Welburn and I. Maudlin Chemotherapy in the Treatment and Control of Leishmaniasis Jorge Alvar, Simon Croft, and Piero Olliaro Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) Eradication Ernesto Ruiz-Tiben and Donald R. Hopkins Intervention for the Control of SoilTransmitted Helminthiasis in the Community Marco Albonico, Antonio Montresor, D.W. T. Crompton, and Lorenzo Savioli Control of Onchocerciasis Boakye A. Boatin and Frank O. Richards, Jr. Lymphatic Filariasis: Treatment, Control and Elimination Eric A. Ottesen

Advances and Trends in the Molecular Systematics of the Parasitic Platyhelminthes Peter D. Olson and Vasyl V. Tkach

Control of Cystic Echinococcosis/ Hydatidosis: 1863â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2002 P.S. Craig and E. Larrieu

Wolbachia Bacterial Endosymbionts of Filarial Nematodes Mark J. Taylor, Claudio Bandi, and Achim Hoerauf

Control of Taenia solium Cysticercosis/ Taeniosis Arve Lee Willingham III and Dirk Engels

The Biology of Avian Eimeria with an Emphasis on their Control by Vaccination Martin W. Shirley, Adrian L. Smith, and Fiona M. Tomley

Implementation of Human Schistosomiasis Control: Challenges and Prospects Alan Fenwick, David Rollinson, and Vaughan Southgate

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Contents of Volumes in This Series

Volume 62

Volume 63

Models for Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases D.J. Rogers

Phylogenetic Analyses of Parasites in the New Millennium David A. Morrison

Global Environmental Data for Mapping Infectious Disease Distribution S.I. Hay, A.J. Tatem, A.J. Graham, S.J. Goetz, and D.J. Rogers

Targeting of Toxic Compounds to the Trypanosome’s Interior Michael P. Barrett and Ian H. Gilbert

Issues of Scale and Uncertainty in the Global Remote Sensing of Disease P.M. Atkinson and A.J. Graham Determining Global Population Distribution: Methods, Applications and Data D.L. Balk, U. Deichmann, G. Yetman, F. Pozzi, S.I. Hay, and A. Nelson Defining the Global Spatial Limits of Malaria Transmission in 2005 C.A. Guerra, R.W. Snow and S.I. Hay The Global Distribution of Yellow Fever and Dengue D.J. Rogers, A.J. Wilson, S.I. Hay, and A.J. Graham Global Epidemiology, Ecology and Control of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections S. Brooker, A.C.A. Clements and D.A.P. Bundy Tick-borne Disease Systems: Mapping Geographic and Phylogenetic Space S.E. Randolph and D.J. Rogers Global Transport Networks and Infectious Disease Spread A.J. Tatem, D.J. Rogers and S.I. Hay Climate Change and Vector-Borne Diseases D.J. Rogers and S.E. Randolph

Making Sense of the Schistosome Surface Patrick J. Skelly and R. Alan Wilson Immunology and Pathology of Intestinal Trematodes in Their Definitive Hosts Rafael Toledo, Jose´-Guillermo Esteban, and Bernard Fried Systematics and Epidemiology of Trichinella Edoardo Pozio and K. Darwin Murrell

Volume 64 Leishmania and the Leishmaniases: A Parasite Genetic Update and Advances in Taxonomy, Epidemiology and Pathogenicity in Humans Anne-Laure Ban˜uls, Mallorie Hide and Franck Prugnolle Human Waterborne Trematode and Protozoan Infections Thaddeus K. Graczyk and Bernard Fried The Biology of Gyrodctylid Monogeneans: The ‘‘Russian-Doll Killers’’ T.A. Bakke, J. Cable, and P.D. Harris Human Genetic Diversity and the Epidemiology of Parasitic and Other Transmissible Diseases Michel Tibayrenc

Plate 1.2 Spatial limits and potential endemic levels of P. falciparum in 2005. Source: The Malaria Atlas Project (http://www.map.ox.ac.uk). Several sources of information on malaria risk (notably international travel health guidelines on malaria chemoprophylaxis, altitude limits for dominant vectors, climate limits for malaria transmission and human population density thresholds) have been combined in a geographic information system to generate this map. See Guerra et al. (2006a,b) for details of the methodology. The method for defining the endemic levels within these limits can be found in Snow et al. (2005). This map is provided only as a guide and the Malaria Atlas Project is committed to assembling the medical intelligence required to improve future iterations.

Plate 3.6 Prediction map describing the geographic distribution of Bancroftian filariasis microfilaria (mf) prevalence in Tanzania obtained by ordinary krigging (OK) of mf point prevalence data (symbols). The krigged surface (filled contours) was produced using parameter values from the best-fitting theoretical model for the spatial correlation among these data, which was given by a spherical semivariogram model (Cressie, 1993) with values of 66.106 for the nugget, 129.216 for the sill and 0.807 degrees for the range. The contours depicted on the krigged surface show areas of similar autocorrelated prevalence of infection with darker fills indicating higher prevalence. Methods for fitting semivariogram models, including those used for detrending data, are as given in Srividya et al. (2002), while the data used in the analysis were collected under the auspices of the Tanzania National Lymphatic Filariasis programme (M.N.M.-L., personal communication). The blowout shows an overlay of the krigged mf probability surface, categorized into three zones of low, medium and high filariasis endemicity, on a village location map for Lindi district (circles denote individual human habitations). Random sampling of habitations within each zone will give rise to the stratified random samples of sentinel sites for monitoring filariasis control in the district. (See Plate on next page)

Mf prev (%) 0.00 0.01 – 2.50 2.51 – 10.00 10.01 – 20.00 20.01 – 30.00 30.01 – 45.50

OK mf prev (%) 0 – 0.001 0.001 – 3 3–7 7 – 14.5 14.5 – 22 22 – 28.5 28.5 – 33 33 – 45.5

150

320